


The Lost City

by Zeelian



Series: The Eternal Universe - Birth of a Dragon [14]
Category: Fantasy - Fandom, Original Work, Science Fiction - Fandom
Genre: Alien Biology, Alien Technology, Alternate Mythology, Alternate Universe - Aliens, Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Breeding Program, Chronoshift, Eugenics, Genetic Engineering, Living ships, Lost Technology, Mating Rituals, Multi, Non-Human Genitalia, Obligate Monogamy, Parallel Universes, Symbiotic Relationship, Underwater Sex, selective breeding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2020-05-13 16:07:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 52,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19254580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeelian/pseuds/Zeelian
Summary: With preparations done Takeshi brings his pack to the Challenger Deep, the deepest place on Earth, and the location of the entrance to the labyrinth that is supposed to bring them to Atlantis.





	1. Challenger Deep

  
(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


Stepping out of the Blackout Takeshi and Jenna were met by enthusiastic caws and hoots as a raven chased by a pair of large owls came toward them as fast as their wings would carry them.  
Hugin broke to the side at the last moment and resumed his humanoid form before stepping behind Takeshi in a swirl of black wings, feeling the wings brush against his arms made Takeshi smile, and made the demon within insist they would have to punish their little raven later.  
The position that Hugin had taken might look subservient to a human, but to a demon, especially a winged one, it was possessive, even somewhat dominant, telling everyone who saw it that the one in front of them was theirs, theirs to have, to protect, even more so when Hugin had taken a form that was slightly taller than Takeshi.  
But for now he would focus on greeting Alice and Anne, the sisters had both become owls, at first he had believed Alice to have taken the form of a snowy owl due to her white feathers and brightness of her golden eyes.  
But when she fully changed her form revealed her to be some sort of horned owl, with her pure white feathers it was hard to tell which kind though, or if she was even a specific kind, and her sisters pure black plumage did nothing to aid.  
He held out his arm for her to land on, but much like Hugin had she broke of hear approach at the last moment and shifted, leaned in and stole a kiss before shifting back and taking to the air again.  
“Excellent shift Alice!”  
He called after her as her sister landed on his arm.  
“Anne, remember to mind your claws when you land on someone's unprotected arm.”  
“Oh no! I'm sorry!”  
Anne's shift was slower than her sister's, and after it she still had quite a few feathers sticking out of her hair, but somehow it gave her a wild beauty and Takeshi found himself hoping that she would one day chose to follow demon ways with the First Rites and pick him as her Guide.  
“Don't worry, I heal fast, see? But others don't, so try to remember to be careful.”  
“I will, I promise”  
  


  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


With one more task done Takeshi focused on making plans with Matthews, they needed to rally people that would be willing to fight at their side, willing to take orders from Takeshi, even if those orders meant fighting against former allies.  
On top of that Takeshi would be leaving with Alice in a few days to see her through her First Rites, she had chosen to go with him alone, and to ask Eriko to teach her the female secrets while Takeshi and the pack searched for Atlantis.  
“So, we need a few more hands for the Thunderhead, and more crews for the Valkyries, three pairs of pilots and RIOs, preferably ones that have flown together before.”  
Takeshi sighed deeply, finding good people would be the hard part.  
“Yeah, and I would like it if we could have at least two, preferably three people with command experience to coordinate with Angel and work on tactics.”  
Takeshi looked from Matthews to Angel's projection.  
“And your opinion on that Angel?”  
“I concur. I have an excellent tactical database and I am continuously studying all tactical data I can find, but I am not human and I have no real experience.”  
“Angel, you are far more capable than any ordinary human. And you will gain experience by doing, not by studying.”  
Angel seemed so human at times that Takeshi almost forgot she wasn't, that Angel was technically an _It_ not a _She_ , she displayed the same insecurities as any human would, and a few extra related to the fact that she was an AI.  
  


“What about protecting the island, the girls, the Sanctuary?”  
Matthews' questions brought Takeshi back to the matter at hand.  
“Protection of the Sanctuary has been secured, a group of Fae have sworn to protect it, and they have agreed to aid in the protection of the island as well, though in less direct manners.”  
“Such as?”  
“They will cast, and maintain, a veil over the island, anyone entering uninvited will suffer from confusion, hallucinations and eventually paranoia and psychotic breakdown. Making them easier for those invited to defeat.”  
“I thought Fae was dangerous and could not be trusted?”  
“They are very dangerous, and normally they can't be trusted. But as a member of the Seelie Court they have certain respect for me, and once they swear a proper oath they will not break it. You just need to make sure that said oath does not have any dangerous loopholes they can use.”  
“I see, so we won't have to worry about them?”  
“Well, at least as long as you don't intentionally insult them.”  
“No pissing off the dangerous creatures, check...”  
With the immediate business taken care of Takeshi turned to other concerns.

“How about you old man? You feel up to the task of running things for another year or so?”  
“I do, I'm stronger than I have been for many years. My heart seems to be doing okay now.”  
“The last scan I performed showed no abnormalities. And the blood work we sent to Mandrake came back well within parameters.”  
Normally Angel would have kept such information in confidence, but Matthews had given her the okay to share it with Takeshi on her own discretion.  
“Good. But make sure to take it easy. A human body is not made to heal like this. It takes a lot of energy to keep up.”  
“Don't worry. That insane fox of yours makes sure I don't overdo it.”  
Takeshi watched Matthews get up and walk toward the door, but called out after him before he left.  
“You need to tell her you know. You told me once that life is too short, even for immortals, and she knows better than most how fleeting a mortal life can be.”  
“Why do you think I'm trying to protect her!”  
Matthews froze at Takeshi's words and snapped back at him without turning around.  
“Protect her from what? Fully enjoying what little time there is left? From building memories to keep and cherish for the remainder of her life?”  
Takeshi watched the building tension in Matthews' shoulders, the way he clenched his fists, but in the end he just sighed and walked out of the room.  
  


“Take-san, I'll understand if it is something private, but could you explain what just happened? I don't understand.”  
The confusion in Angel's voice made Takeshi smile.  
“Don't worry Angel, it's love, most humans don't understand it either.”  
“That isn't really very helpful.”  
The part whine, part scolding made Takeshi laugh.  
“Eriko loves him, and he loves her, and he needs to tell her that.”  
“She's a clever creature, her senses are strong. Wouldn't she already be aware?”  
“She knows, but the words have meaning, to speak them is to commit to a path.”  
“I think I understand. And his words about protecting her, that's because he will die soon, right?”  
“Yes, he wants to protect her from the pain of losing a loved one.”

 

 _-'Tis better to have loved and lost  
-Than never to have loved at all.  
_  


Angel recited the famous words with impeccable old English.  
“Indeed.”  
“I still don't think I understand love though.”  
“I think you understand as well as anyone does.”  
“Perhaps.”  
She conceded after a moment's silence.  
“I think, what you might be wondering about, is not understanding love, but if you will ever know love.”  
Angel didn't answer him, but the fact that her projection changed from her humanoid persona into a multi armed galaxy told him that she was considering his words.  
With a shrug he brought up the financial reports again and set to work on them, the construction of the Leviathan had required him to liquidate quite a bit of assets and it had put quite a dent in the semi liquid assets that he controlled, so he needed to come up with a plan for restoring them.  
  


  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


Takeshi was tending to his bonsai plants when he felt a slight flicker at the edge of his aura, almost like _Sakki_ , killing intent, but without the dangerous edge.  
He spun around just in time to duck under Alice who broke away from her dive with a surprised hoot.  
“Dammit! Still too loud...”  
She muttered and pouted after returning to her human form.  
“No, you were as quiet as a shadow. But you were too focused on the hunt, too focused on reaching your target so your aura gave it away. It was a feeling similar to sakki.”  
Takeshi mixed praise with a quick explanation of what she did wrong  
“Sakki?”  
“ _Satsu ki_ , or killing intent. But since you weren't actually after killing me it felt a bit different, weaker, but still plenty enough to warn me of your intent.”  
“But how?”  
Instead of trying to explain to her Takeshi focused his aura on her and sent a flicker of intent toward her that made her instantly recoil and cower.  
“Ssh, easy. It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you.”  
Reaching out he caught her chin and tilted her head up so she looked at him.  
“I'm sorry I scared you.”  
She looked rather stunned, but when he gently traced his thumb along the corner of her mouth her eyes widened as she realized the implications of his actions and when her lips parted with a soft gasp he leaned in and kissed her.  
They would be leaving for Alaska in a few hours for her First Rites and a bit of teasing was a good way to calm nerves.  
  


“It felt like I knew I was about to die...”  
It had taken her a while to gather herself, and her breath, after the kiss.  
“I know. I'm sorry I scared you, but it was the easiest way to show you. With training you can learn to project sakki without any real intent, it can be useful to send an opponent off balance.”  
“Like make them think you are going to strike in one place to make them tighten their guard there to open a chance to strike in another area?”  
All of the girls had been taking lessons in self defense as well as more aggressive uses of martial arts and her guess for the use of projecting false sakki was a good one.  
“That's right, that's one way you can use it. But most of the time you would use it just before a fight erupts to try to scare the opponent into running away.”  
She ducked her head slightly at the reminder of the first rule of self defense.  
“Sorry. I know. First rule, don't get in a fight to start with.”  
“It's okay. I know you know it. Now, how about you head back to bed and get some rest before we head out?”  
”I can't sleep. I was hoping we could head out earlier, the others are just going to be teasing us all morning anyway.”  
“Of course we can. Just let me finish up this one and we can leave.”  
He pointed to the bonsai he was working on and she nodded and took a seat, watching closely as he carefully adjusted the wiring to encourage it to grow the way he wanted it to before checking all the new growth and carefully removing some of it.  
While he worked he went over the plan for the next few days in his head.  
Alice had been rather adamant that she wanted to go to Alaska, to the territory held by Amarok and his pack, Takeshi was unsure why though as she had just blushed and refused to answer when he asked her.  
“There, all done. Do you have your bag ready?”  
“Yeah, I carried it down to the Blackout after dinner.”  
“Good, let's go then.”  
  


Once the Blackout was airborne Takeshi set the course for Brooks Range and left Angel in control, it would take them nearly 5 hours to go there unless he pushed the plane into mach speeds, but they were not in any hurry.  
“So, feel like sharing why you were so set on going to Alaska now that we are alone?”  
Alice blushed vividly and spluttered for a bit before speaking up.  
“The past few years I have been having these dreams...”  
“Sexual dreams?”  
It wasn't really a question, it was quite obvious from the way she was squirming, it was more of an attempt to help her open up and move things along.  
“Yeah, very. And well, some pretty strange ones as well.”  
There was a long silence broken up by several attempts to explain her dreams but she never managed more than a few words.  
“How about I show you how to enter the Dreamscape? Then you can show me those dreams instead of trying to explain them with words.”  
“Please...”  
Takeshi explained what would happen before bringing out a small crystal vial from his shift.  
It contained a new version of the dream essence that he had created with the help of the Mother, unlike the old one it was perfectly safe to use daily.  
“So I just drink this and get comfortable?”  
“That's right.”  
“What about you?”  
“I don't need it, I can enter through meditation.”  
“Okay.”  
She emptied the vial and leaned back in the reclined seat and before long she was sleeping deeply.  
  


.·:*¨¨*:·.-Dreamscape-·:*¨¨*:·.  
  


“Wow, this place is amazing!”  
“This is Kiryu's lair, her home in the shadow lands.”  
“Why are we here then?”  
_**“Because I was the one who taught him how to enter the Dreamscape, and out of habit he enters it from here. A safe and familiar place.”**_  
“That was her? Your dragon?”  
“Indeed. But don't worry, she will give us privacy when it is time to look at your dreams.”  
He could feel a wash of relief as he held out his hand to Alice.  
“Come, let's have a look at those dreams of yours. Focus on the setting of your dream first, where did it start.”  
The surroundings morphed and they stood in an ancient forest, pale moonlight filtering down through the trees and high in the sky the Aurora Borealis danced, slowly shifting between blue and deep purple.  
“It's beautiful. Wild, ancient, primal.”  
  


Alice didn't seem to hear him though, caught up in recreating her own dream.  
_“Wander not into the Night-forest for it is the home of the demon. There the black beast hunts and consumes all who dares trespass.”  
_As she spoke a thick fog rolled in and in the distance a howl could be heard, it was a call to hunt and it seemed to startle her out of her trance-like state.  
When she looked around Takeshi could feel a strong fear from her and the image began to waver.  
“Ssh, easy. Nothing can harm you here, you are in control.”  
“It's just...”  
Her voice trailed off almost instantly and Takeshi just settled back and waited for her to find her courage.  
“I...”  
She was nearing a full blown panic so Takeshi pulled her into his arms to calm her.  
“Ssh. What's wrong? Please tell me so I can help.”  
“Promise me you won't hate me! That you won't think I'm disgusting or sick... Please...”  
Her pleading gave him a good idea what she was so afraid of, it would seem that there were aspects of her dreams that could be considered inappropriate.  
“Of course I won't. We all have strange dreams, disturbing dreams, even perverted ones. It just means you are a healthy young woman with an active imagination.”  
  


With his word that he wouldn't think less of her because of her dreams the image of the forest stabilized again and shifted slightly to show a figure running through the underbrush.  
As the figure came closer, he could see that it was a female wearing a simple dress and a cloak, making him think of _Little Red Riding Hood_ and it soon became obvious that the female was Alice dream self.  
The howl sounded again, this time much closer and dream Alice looked over her shoulder and tried to run faster, her cloak snagging on branches as she ran blindly deeper into the forest.  
As dream Alice vanished behind the trees a dark figure stalked past them, a shadowy representation of Takeshi in his half-transformed state, glowing red eyes and his thick fur was surrounded by black wisps of power.  
Dream Takeshi stopped and inspected a bramble, breaking one of the branches he brought it to his face and sniffed at a drop of blood from where the sharp thorns had scratched dream Alice as she ran past.  
Licking away the drop he raised his maw and howled before running along the trail left by dream Alice.  
As the dream scene shifted to a moss covered clearing Takeshi could feel Alice's emotions shift, anticipation, and worry.  
The howl was heard again, this time just beyond the treeline and moments later dream Alice burst through the bushes and into the clearing, but as she reached the middle her foot caught in a rabbit hole and she fell with a cry of pain from a twisted ankle.  
The moment dream Alice cried out a triumphant howl was heard from the edge of the clearing and dream Takeshi appeared, slowly stalking toward her fallen form.  
The rather prominent, and growing, erection made it obvious what dream Takeshi was after and when he reached her he pulled her to her hands and knees and made short work of her dress, leaving only the large hooded cloak.  
With a howl of conquest the beast claimed the maiden, but dream Alice's cry was not one of fear or pain, but rather surprise and pleasure despite the rough way dream Takeshi took her.  
As they watched the scene unfold Takeshi could feel the rise in Alice's pheromones and she soon began to shift and squirm against him, trying to soothe a growing need and he had to admit, it was a rather enticing scene despite it's roughness, and sometimes almost brutal force and speed.  
By the time the scene ended Takeshi was unable to subdue his reaction and they were both panting rather heavily as they watched their dream selves walk away into the dark forest side by side.  
  


When the scene faded Takeshi turned to Alice.  
“You do know that your dream self does not always reflect the real you very accurately, right? That your dream self enjoyed that does not mean that you would.”  
“I know. But I want to find out. All my dreams are the same, different, but the same.”  
She looked up at him, begging him to understand.  
“I want it, I need to know.”  
And Takeshi found himself desiring it just as much as she did, he had to find out if the real her would react the same way, and if that was the case, then he would gladly give her what she asked for.  
“There is one way to find out without taking any risks.”  
“Please!”  
Takeshi explained that dreams within the Dreamscape could be manipulated and altered, they could replay the dream they had just watched, but replace the dream personas with versions that they knew would react and respond the same way they would.  
If the scene played out the same way, or at least in a positive way they would know that she would enjoy it.  
“And, I can remove parts of the memory of what we have done and said here from your mind before we leave.”  
  


.·:*¨¨*:·.-End Dreamscape-·:*¨¨*:·.  
  


  


Slowly waking from the Dreamscape Takeshi found himself struggling to keep the anticipation from being too obvious in his aura, Alice's reaction in the modified dream had been quite interesting.  
She wouldn't remember it when she woke, they had agreed to remove the memory to make the experience more authentic and he was looking forward to a hunt when they landed.  
  


When Takeshi set the Blackout down Amarok was waiting for them and Takeshi quickly explained why they were there before taking their bags and guiding Alice deeper into the forest.  
Once they had set up a small camp Takeshi turned to Alice with a predatory smile.  
“Run!”  
She squealed in surprise as he shifted, then she ran like the wind and he followed, howling his anticipation to the skies.  
  


When they returned to the island Alice was proudly displaying the marks that Takeshi's claws had left on her hips, shoulders and the inside of her thighs, but when the others asked her about them she just gave them a teasing smile and tutted at them.  
_“What in the world did you two do to leave such marks?”_  
The concern was obvious in Emelie's tone so Takeshi answered her, but not without a bit of teasing.  
_“Exactly what it looks like.”_  
Emelie's eyes went almost impossibly wide and just as she was about to read him the riot act about treating an inexperienced girl that way he interrupted her.  
_“Don't worry. It's what she wanted, what she has been dreaming about for years. I tested her in the dreamscape to make sure the real her would enjoy it and not just her dream projection, that it wasn't just a twisted fantasy.”_  
The silent assurance calmed her down and slowly a wicked smile formed.  
_“So, did you enjoy letting loose?”_  
The memory sent a shiver through his aura and he leaned in against Emelie.  
_“I did. A lot more than I thought I would.”_  
With a deep breath he steadied himself.  
_“It scares me how much I enjoyed it... I can still remember the pleasure I took in digging my claws into her flesh as I tore her innocence from her...”_  
The fear and shame that tainted silent confession made Emelie reach for him and cup his face, a small flare of power forcing him to look straight at her.  
_“I know you, you always had that dark and violent undercurrent, but you would never have enjoyed it if she didn't.”_  
Takeshi's relief at her acceptance was tangible, he had been more concerned about the reaction of the others than he realized, but not their reaction to finding out about Alice's dreams, but their reaction to finding out that he had taken great pleasure in granting them.  
  


  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Angel, could you bring up the to-do list please? Focus on what is left to do before we leave for Challenger Deep.”  
Looking at the list he was relieved to find there were only two entries left on it, the welcome party for the people that had been selected to work at Hawaii branch of Mandrake and final inspection of the rebuilt Tiamat.  
“Well, I'll be damned, we actually managed to get everything done in time.”  
“With a week to spare.”  
Angel added with a pleased tone.  
“Indeed, you did a great job. I would have offered you a vacation, or a nice bonus pay if you had actually been able to use it.”  
“If you truly wish to reward me, could I have your permission to access the global network for recreational purposes?”  
Her access to the global network had been restricted for security purposes and Takeshi had simply never gotten around to building parameters for releasing the restriction.  
“Oh? Any specific recreation in mind?”  
“I wish to study human interactions. Chat-rooms, social media, games, maybe a dating site or two.”  
“I think we can do that. How about we work on building some parameters while we pick up the Tiamat?”  
“Oh, you believe you will have the time for that?”  
Now she was just teasing him so he gave the small drone that was hovering at his shoulder a slightly rougher tap that sent it halfway across the room, and earned him some grumbling while it returned to his side.  
The plan was to fly out in the afternoon to pick up the Tiamat, and then spend some time on the way back to make sure everything was perfect.  
Initially he had only intended to bring Hugin for the trip, to get some alone time with him before leaving, but Hugin had insisted that he bring Dan along as well, citing the promise Takeshi had made.  
The promise didn't really apply, but Takeshi gave in anyway, if Hugin wanted to take a step back and have Dan join them it was fine with him.  
“I think I'll be able to manage to make time for you. Now, how about we take a final look at the preparations for the party?”  
At his suggestion Angel actually snickered at him which made him shake his head with a smile, the AI was still evolving rapidly and had not only teased him, but picked up on the teasing tone of his reply with ease.  
Turning his focus back on the screens he found himself once again wishing there was a way to allow Angel to feel his aura, not just to make work easier, but to let her feel him, feel his approval.  
  


“Hugin, Dan, are you guys ready to go?”  
They both nodded and said a quick goodbye to the girls before joining him and together they walked down to the Blackout where Amanda waited for them.  
She would be taking the Blackout back to the island as her first solo flight, Angel would be there to assist her, but Amanda would be doing the piloting.  
“So, Manda, eager to test your wings so to speak?”  
“Yeah, and bit nervous...”  
“Don't worry, Angel will keep you safe, just focus on flying.”  
  


The flight had been uneventful and after landing they had waved Amanda off before heading to the shipyard to get the Tiamat.  
Takeshi had sent the Tiamat to the same shipyard that had built the Leviathan to be rebuilt.  
It would become the girls' home while they studied in Honolulu, the Owner's stateroom had been redesigned into a pack den where they could all gather in their off time, and it also had room for them all to sleep as a group.  
The VIP suite was unchanged, but the Captain's quarters, crew mess and galley had been rebuilt to mirror the VIP suite, Hugin would be taking one of the VIP suites and Munin would share the other with Melissa.  
The four guest suites had been rebuilt into six smaller cabins, one each for the other girls and the small crew quarters down in the twin hulls had been rebuilt into a shared study on one side and the galley had been fitted in the other one.  
“Ah, welcome back Mr Kiryu, Mr Lindgren, and Mr?”  
The receptionist turned to Hugin in question.  
“Hugin Shamarai.”  
When creating the identities for the angels Hugin had insisted that he wanted Shamarai as his last name, and after a few tries to get him to pick something less exotic they had relented and let him have it his way, so the brothers were registered as Hugin and Munin Shamarai.  
“Mr Shamarai.”  
She confirmed, though not without some trouble with the pronunciation of the strange name.  
“If you would wait here please, I will see if they are ready to receive you.”  
Taking a seat in the small lounge they watched the receptionist collect her papers and head out to find the build master.  
  


Spotting the owner's niece Takeshi and Dan both groaned, which made Hugin perk up in curiosity.  
“Is that the niece you told me about?”  
“Indeed it is...”  
When she reached the table where they waited she offered them refreshments, and put herself on display for Hugin, but not without giving Takeshi a rather nasty glare.  
_“I don't think she likes you.”  
_Hugin spoke Urui to keep the woman from understanding what he said, Dan didn't really understand much either, but his raijū translated for him. _  
“No kidding, I did tell her she smelled like a whore last time we spoke.”  
“Maybe not very appropriate, but now that I can smell her I see that it was very accurate.”  
_She was wearing the same cloying perfume, and underneath it she smelled of a dozen men, some of them were the same as last time, but there were a few new scents as well.  
The fact that it bothered Hugin despite his weaker sense of smell was telling.  
_“What is that strange acrid scent? I have never smelled anything like it on a human before.”  
“Drug abuse.”_  
_“It's the scent of cocaine breaking down in her system.”  
_Takeshi added the last bit silently as there was no word for cocaine in Urui.  
_“It's a shame, she is rather good looking.”_  
Takeshi and Dan both agreed that the woman did look rather good, but her personality left a lot to wish for, and it was a shame, last time she didn't smell of drugs  
Hugin's tolerance for her quickly faded though when she began trying to entice him into _taking a walk_ with her, but fortunately the receptionist returned before he snapped at her.  
“If you would come with me please.”  
At the dock the familiar shape of the Tiamat moved slowly with the waves and the build master and some of the workers waited by the gangway.  
  


  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“The girls are going to love this.”  
Dan inspected the six cabins that would be the girls' rooms while they lived on the Tiamat.  
“What about you Hugin, you think you can stand living here for a few months at a time?”  
Takeshi didn't think there would be any objections, but he asked anyway.  
“I think I will be able to manage.”  
Fortunately the workers didn't notice the soft chirp that accompanied his words, it was one of those sounds that was hard to translate, but in essence he said that it wouldn't be home without Takeshi there.  
With the inspection done they headed back to the office and signed off on the work before casting off and setting the course back to their island.  
  


“Now, would either of you care to explain why I'm here?”  
They had settled down on the upper sundeck to wait for Angel to fully reintegrate into the Tiamat systems and Dan took the opportunity to try to get some answers.  
Takeshi just looked at Hugin with a shrug, it was his request so he would get the pleasure of explaining.  
“I asked Take to bring you along.”  
“Yeah, but why? Wasn't this supposed to be your chance for some alone time before we leave to search for Atlantis?”  
“It was, but you are his simoro, it wouldn't be right for me to be alone with him in that way.”  
“I don't care about stuff like that.”  
“Dan, you might not want to admit it, even to yourself. But it does bother you. And as much as I desire him, I don't want to come between you. I respect both of you far too much for that.”  
_“Lite sent påkommet...”_  
The muttered words were instantly followed by a deep shame and regret flowing through Dan's aura.  
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...”  
Hugin wasn't bothered by the outburst, he had expected as much and with a quick glance at Takeshi he silently asked to be allowed to handle it himself and Takeshi just gave him a soft nod.  
“Yes you did. And you're right, it is a bit late. But we didn't have much choice. I was dying and using my soul name to bind me to him was the only sure way to save my life.”  
“Yeah, using your soul name to bind and balance your soul was a necessity. I know that! But those marks! I can feel it, his soul, they are just as strong as any mating bond!”  
Takeshi had to struggle to keep himself under control as Dan snapped and revealed the emotions he had been hiding, pain, shame, anger, and a sense of inadequacy that tore at Takeshi's instincts but he managed to suppress it and let Hugin continue.  
“Dan, this mark is a soul oath. I made him swear an oath that binds him as strongly as my soul-name binds me to him. An oath that he will not explore the bond between us any further until he has resolved his feelings for you.”  
Hugin's words made Dan freeze and look at Takeshi for confirmation and when Takeshi nodded he broke down completely.  
_“I'm sorry. I'm sorry.”_  
Mumbling over and over his aura was completely overcome with shame.  
Hugin just pulled him into his arms and held him tightly, whispering softly over the rambling apologies.  
“You didn't know. It's okay.”  
Takeshi watched for a while, but when the shame began to fade and the apologies were replaced by soft sniffles and crying he took a deep breath and headed for the bridge, he would leave it to Hugin to comfort Dan, hopefully it would let the two of them bond and find a balance.  
  


When he returned to the sundeck Dan was deep asleep in Hugin's arms and Takeshi just slipped into the bedding next to them.  
“How did it go?”  
“We talked once he calmed down a bit and we worked through a few issues. But I have a feeling there might be more.”  
“You are probably right. I have tried, but he always worries that his darker feelings will upset me so he ends up bottling them up, hiding them, even from himself.”  
“He loves you deeply.”  
“I know...”  
Takeshi sighed deeply and gently brushed Dan's unruly hair away from his face.  
“And he is afraid that you will deem him unworthy because of those feelings.”  
“I could never do that... I have told him as much on several occasions.”  
Leaning in Takeshi placed a soft kiss at Dan's temple before curling up against his back and settling down to rest while they waited for Dan to wake up again.  
  


“Feeling better?”  
Dan just mumbled incoherently in response and burrowed his face into Takeshi's chest.  
After a few minutes Takeshi could feel the shift in Dan's aura as he began to wake up properly and moments later Takeshi voiced a mix between a quivering moan and a soft sigh as Dan began to trail kisses along his chest.  
“I guess that's a yes.”  
Hugin teased as he watched Dan push Takeshi down and have his way with him rather aggressively, just shy of triggering a response to force submission.  
“Dan...”  
The half growl was a clear warning that Takeshi was reaching his limit and with a final nip Dan pulled Takeshi along as he rolled to the side and submitted fully.  
Takeshi pinned Dan beneath him and began to return the favor, trailing nibbling kisses down Dan's chest and stomach and while he did he felt Hugin's win reach over him as the angel shifted slightly to get a better view.  
“May I?”  
Hugin's question was somewhat hesitant, but Takeshi and Dan instantly hummed in agreement and the sharp gasp followed by a rather loud moan from Dan when Hugin leaned over and kissed him was encouraging.  
  


Unfortunately things quickly turned to the worse as Dan's aura shifted sharply to fear when Takeshi shifted their position slightly to bring things to the next level and Takeshi found himself unable to fully contain the frustrated growl.  
“I'm sorry! I thought I was past this...”  
“It's okay, I'm not upset with you. I'm just frustrated with the situation but that's not your fault.”  
It had been quite some time since Dan had an episode and Takeshi suspected it might be the emotionally draining encounter with Hugin that caused the throwback.  
“What's wrong Dan? Did I do something wrong?”  
Hugin was almost as distraught as Dan and Dan's denial didn't really help much.  
“Dan, is it okay with you if I explain to him?”  
Dan just curled deeper into Takeshi's chest and nodded silently.  
With a deep breath Takeshi began to explain to Hugin about the abuse and attempted rape Dan had suffered from his first male partner and by the time he was done talking Hugin's wings were shivering with barely restrained fury.  
“Is that dokar still alive?”  
The question was hissed between clenched teeth.  
“I think so. Dan asked me not to hunt him down. He didn't want me to dirty my hands.”  
“Then please, let me be your hands in this. ”  
Hugin quickly offered to be the one to dirty his hands with the blood of the unworthy.  
“Dan, the choice is yours.”  
For quite some time there was no reaction, then Takeshi felt a slight nod against his chest and he relayed that nod to Hugin.  
“I will see to that it's done while you are away.”  
Dan knew as well as Takeshi did that Hugin would kill the man, probably in a quite painful way, but he no longer cared.  
  


  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Take, Dan, I think I might have a suggestion that could help overcome the trauma.”  
They had just eaten and were playing games to relax when Hugin spoke up, once again with a rather hesitant tone.  
“Well I for one am willing to try almost anything if it gets rid of this crap.”  
“As long as Dan is okay with it I will do what I can.”  
Takeshi quickly agreed, and they both turned to Hugin to hear his suggestion.  
“As you know most demon cultures have some form of _Arashiri_ , First Rites.”  
“Yeah, but I don't see how it applies here, I'm neither young, nor innocent...”  
“Arashiri has another use as well, sometimes a victim of abuse, or rape, will seek out their Guide, or someone they trust and go through the rites a second time, or even multiple times to find a way back and overcome the trauma.”  
“So you think I should go through the First Rites to try and get over this?”  
“I believe it might help, yes.”  
“But, all my times with Take, he's always been careful, how would it be any different?”  
“Well, Take would be in the role of the Guardian, and I would be the Guide.”  
As Hugin explained Takeshi began to understand what his idea was, and he had to agree that it might work.  
With Hugin being the Guide it would be less intense for Dan, for starters he didn't have the same emotional bond, but another important aspect was the fact that Hugin was a beta so he was less dominant than Takeshi's own strong alpha nature.  
And with Takeshi as the Guardian Dan should feel safe, it was the duty of the Guardian to act as a chaperone of sorts, make sure that the one going through the First Rites was not abused in any way.  
Dan would still have Takeshi there, someone he trusted for protection and support, but without having to deal with Takeshi's dominant nature, and the way he reminded Dan of the man who had abused him.  
Dan blushed rather vividly at the idea of having Hugin be his guide, but he agreed to try it and soon he found himself leaning against the angel trying to catch his breath as Hugin showed him just how to make the most of the sensitivity of the wings.  
  


“Okay guys, I think I'm gonna have a much harder time with this than we thought.”  
Takeshi's voice was strained as he spoke up and interrupted their activities.  
“Possessiveness?”  
There was a slight concern in Hugin's voice, it was one of the things they had been slightly worried about, that Takeshi's dominant and somewhat possessive nature would rebel against seeing those he considered to be his, but who wasn't actually his mates, going at it without him.  
“No, worse...”  
The confused looks would normally have made him smile, but in his current predicament it only made him groan again.  
“It would seem that watching you two is far more of a turn on that I thought it would be.”  
When they realized what he was saying they glanced at each other for a moment, then their faces were overcome by wicked smiles, sinful smiles, as they returned to their previous activities with abandon.  
Takeshi on the other hand groaned as he felt himself become painfully hard, but he refused to give in, to betray his duty as Guardian.  
  


By the time they returned to the island with the Tiamat, Dan was feeling quite comfortable even when Takeshi was intentionally dominant, even forceful or rough with him.  
  


  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Who is that with Dan?”  
Hugin's question brought Takeshi's attention away from his conversation with Rebecca Reed who had come to the grand opening of the new Mandrake building in Honolulu.  
Most of those who would work there had come to attend the party and a quick glance over to where he could feel Dan revealed that the person Hugin was asking about was Bran Quirke, the software developer that he had became friends with during their cleanup of the Mandrake Group.  
“That's Bran, And don't worry, he's a decent enough guy, a bit of a flirt but not in a bad way.”  
“And his intentions for our Dan?”  
Takeshi just smiled at Hugin's somewhat possessive tone.  
“He might invite him for some harmless, no-strings, fun, but he has no further intentions for him.”  
Bran had outright told them as much while they were sorting out the old Mandrake Group, he had told them that Dan was the kind of man he would have sex with, a one-night-stand, or even as _Friends with Benefits_ but he wasn't the kind of man he wanted for a relationship.  
Takeshi had appreciated Bran's honesty about it, and so had Dan, in the end the confession had deepened their friendship, a friendship that Dan sorely needed.  
“So nothing to be concerned about?”  
“No, they are good friends and frankly, Dan could do with more of those. Friends who don't care that he's bisexual. Friends who knows what it's like to be on the outside.”  
Together they watched Bran tease Dan, and pull him away from the main group of people into one of the secluded corners of the large room where he began to kiss the somewhat hesitant Dan, but when Takeshi sent a pulse of amused approval over the bond things changed quickly.  
Encouraged by Takeshi's approval Dan turned things around and soon Bran was the one pinned to the wall by a rather dominant Dan.  
Bran's posture and aura spoke of surprise, but then it softened into compliance, and pleasure.  
  


Takeshi had his own plans though, he had been hard at work trying to charm Rebecca into bed, but she was resilient.  
_“Maybe we should just tell her about arashiri and give her an offer?”_  
Hugin teased in Urui when Takeshi once again failed to get her to agree to join him.  
He did have a point, the fact that she was untouched, and from her reactions it didn't seem she had any experience in pleasuring herself either, was one of the reasons Takeshi was being stubborn, he wanted to show her that her disability did not mean she couldn't find pleasure.  
“What did he say?”  
The teasing tone of Hugin's words had aroused her curiosity.  
“Oh, he thinks I should tell you about arashiri, his people's tradition of First Rites. That it might improve my chances.”  
“Is that like a Rite of Passage, or Initiation?”  
“It is. It's a tradition where the young who are on the edge of maturity are taught about sex, about finding what gives them pleasure, and about how to find what gives a partner pleasure.”  
She did look a bit hesitant, human cultures that adhered to various forms of _Initiation_ were often criticized for the way it was done, one of the main concerns was the young age of the participants who could be as young as 8.  
Concerns about both boys and girls being directly, or indirectly, forced to participate, about dangerous trials to prove themselves, and being encouraged, or downright forced, to be sexually active without any protection during or right after the initiation.  
  


“Hugin, why don't you explain a bit.”  
It was Hugin's suggestion, so Takeshi would let him handle the fallout of it.  
“The arashiri is usually performed shortly before a youth reaches their Ramhiro, age of majority.”  
“And at what age is that?”  
Rebecca's tone was slightly suspicious and Hugin glanced at Takeshi, it would be hard to explain without either telling her, or lying.  
“Go ahead, tell her. She knows what I am so she might as well know what you are.”  
Fortunately the music in the room was enough to hide Hugin's nervous chirp from normal ears, it did nothing to hide it from Takeshi though and he borrowed an expression that Maria had been fond of, Emelie and Dan used it from time to time as well, especially with the girls.  
_“Som man bäddar får man ligga.”_  
It was the Swedish version of _'You've made your bed, now lie in it'_ , but somehow Takeshi liked the sound of the Swedish version better, it came across as more teasing somehow.  
Hugin gave him a slight glare and there was a defiant chirp before he continued to explain to Rebecca.  
“The ages vary greatly between species, but it's generally an equivalent of sixteen to twenty for a human.”  
“Species? Human? So, what are you then?”  
As expected she went straight to the point.  
“I'm a demon. My species are commonly referred to as an Obsidian Angel.”  
“I thought angels were supposed to be like the opposite of demons?”  
“A common misconception, fueled by religious doctrine. In reality we are all just different breeds, or species, of demon. We all trace our origins to our progenitor, Lilith.”  
“You look human though, like a crazy good looking one, but human nonetheless.”  
“It's a spell to hide my true form. It was a gift from the Lord of the Obsidian Hall's “  
He tapped the raven amulet around his neck before he continued to explain about the First Rites, he told her how the youth would chose someone they trusted, or were attracted to, to be their Guide.  
“But if they pick someone they barely know simply because they are attracted to them, wouldn't that put them at risk of being abused?”  
“That's correct. That's why they would also choose a Guardian, someone they trust to make sure everything is done right by them. It's common to pick two, or even more Guides, usually a male and a female.”  
He explained that the abuse of the honor of being chose as Guide was considered one of the worst crimes possible in most demon cultures and the punishment for such a crime, along with for instance rape of someone who has yet to go through their arashiri, was always death.  
When Hugin was done explaining, Rebecca turned to Takeshi.  
“So, have you ever been Guide to someone?”  
“Yes, I have had the great honor of being chosen many times. Not just as Guide, I have been Guardian as well.”  
“Why do I have a feeling you prefer being Guide?”  
“I do, but being Guardian is a great honor as well. And it does have it's own allure.”  
  


Learning about the rites, and the reasons behind them made her more open to the idea, but in the end she backed out.  
“I'm sorry. I can't, not now.”  
“Don't be sorry, I will just have to take out on Hugin here.”  
The look on Hugin's face had Rebecca laughing until she was in tears which caused a few concerned chirps before she calmed down.  
“Maybe you will consider it once we had a chance to work together for a while, to get to know each other properly?”  
Takeshi wasn't about to give up just yet, not completely at least.  
“I think I would like that.”  
  


Most of the party guests had left already, other than Takeshi, Dan and Hugin, only Bran and Rebecca were still there, Bran was preoccupied with Dan, and Rebecca was waiting for them to drive her to the hotel.  
“Hugin, would you go see if you can get Dan and Bran to come up for a breather so we can head back to the hotel?”  
“Dan's with Bran? Are you sure that's a good idea? He's a bit of a notorious flirt...”  
Her genuine concern made Takeshi smile as he helped her get her jacket and purse from the coatroom, making a note to ask Angel to see to that a set of hangers was installed that took Rebecca's wheelchair into account.  
“Don't worry. Bran is actually a good guy despite his habitual flirting. And they are good friends. It's good for Dan to get out and have some real fun.”  
When she gave him a somewhat surprised look he laughed.  
“Besides, who am I to complain about him being a flirt?”  
The addition was enough to make her laugh as well as they joined the others by the entrance before heading to the parking lot where Angel had one of the Knight XVs waiting.  
The ride to the hotel was filled with good natured teasing and bickering and Takeshi was pleased to see Dan following Bran back to his room rather than head to the penthouse room they shared with Hugin.  
“Goodnight Becca.”  
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, then she took hold of Takeshi's hand and the gentle tug made him kneel down so that he could look her straight into the eye without her needing to look up at him.  
“Your eyes. Could I see your true eyes before you go?”  
With a smile he allowed the fire to bleed back into his eyes before leaning in and giving her a kiss on the forehead.  
“Goodnight.”  
As the door to Rebecca's room closed Takeshi slowly turned to Hugin and was met by a rather flushed angel who was struggling to silence his chirps.  
Leaning in and stealing a kiss Takeshi was able to unbalance Hugin enough for him to lose focus and release the involuntary sounds of anticipation and want.  
  


  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Okay girls, I want you to promise that you will behave and listen to Hugin and Munin, don't give them a hard time.”  
It was time to say goodbye to the girls as well as Hugin and Munin, the Tiamat had been anchored at a private slip in Honolulu and the girls would be attending school there.  
“We promise!”  
The somewhat impish tones made both Hugin and Munin squirm a bit, the girls would no doubt give them a hard time, but Takeshi was sure they would listen and behave when it mattered.  
“And I want you to promise that you will pay attention in school, do your lessons and homework. You are all bright girls, but if you want those top grades you need to work for them. I know you can do it if you put your minds to it. And don't hesitate to ask Angel for help, it will do both her and you good.”  
There were some groans, but they all promised that they would do their best.  
After a few more rounds of hugs and promises Takeshi and the pack turned toward the catamaran tender that would bring them out to the Leviathan that lay anchored further out, it was finally time to set out toward Challenger Deep and the path to Atlantis.  
Before he had a chance to jump over to the tender he felt a pair of arms wrap around him, and turning around he returned the almost desperate hug from Alice.  
“I'm gonna miss you...”  
Her scent told him that it was more than just emotional, she would be missing the occasional sexual encounter as well.  
“Don't worry. I'm sure Hugin won't mind giving you a hand if solitude becomes too much.”  
Maybe it wasn't entirely fair to tease her, but he couldn't resist.  
“I changed my mind, you're horrible!”  
Takeshi just smiled and kissed her, completely ignoring her ranting.  
“I will miss you too.”  
His words were barely a whisper, meant only for her.  
  


As the Leviathan set course toward Challenger Deep Takeshi found himself struggling with the effects of his bond with Hugin.  
When he left for Alaska with Alice there had only been a slight discomfort, but now it was quite painful despite the much smaller distance.  
“Take, will you be okay?”  
Emelie sounded worried, she could no doubt sense his pain.  
“I will, it's just the bond with Hugin acting up a bit.”  
“You mentioned some discomfort before, but this is worse, isn't it?”  
“A lot worse, I think it's because he's worried, even a bit scared, this time. When I went to Alaska with Alice he was confident I would return in a few days. But now the risk of me not coming back is greater.”  
Emelie just nodded and motioned for him to sit.  
“Try to relax at least, the girls are sensing your tension.”  
With a sure grip she began to knead the tension from his shoulders, finding the aching knots with an unerring accuracy born from experience and instinct.  
“I don't think there will be any real issues though. The time we spend getting used to the deeps should be enough to calm the bond, or at least let me get used to it and numb it.”  
  


Their target was the Mariana Trench, the deep sea trench that was home to the Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the ocean with it's staggering depth of approximately 10,900 meters.  
The extreme pressure and near freezing temperature would pose a challenge for them as they would be using the ability to shift and adapt to dive without equipment.  
Their only equipment would the _Salacia,_ an unmanned DSV that had been retrofitted with Sanctuary crystals as well as several systems developed by Mandrake.  
With it, Angel would be monitoring their dives and be their guide to make sure they didn't get lost or confused during the long descent, she would also perform a number of survey dives to accurately map the area as well as perform extensive surveys of hadopelagic ecology.  
While the studies were mostly a cover to explain why the Leviathan remained in the area for such a long period there was also a genuine interest behind it.  
The extreme deep sea was the last truly unexplored area of the planet, and there was a good chance that they might find previously unknown creatures down there.  
  


“How about you, sweetie. How are you getting along with your passenger?”  
Unlike the rest of the pack Emelie and Knight were unable to shift to be able to breathe underwater, or withstand the depth needed, and there was no technology they could use for what they needed so they had sought out another solution.  
The solution was a pair of river spirits that possessed their bodies, they allowed them to breathe underwater and protected them from the cold and the pressure, as well as allowed them to move through the water with ease.  
It did have some drawbacks though, the creatures were extremely sensitive to toxins and pollution so Emelie and Knight had been forced to adhere to a very strict diet to ensure their bodies were pure enough for the spirits.  
And having another creature share your body always caused its own issues.  
“We are doing okay. She gets a bit testy if I spend too long in the sun. I guess it's some kind of instinctual fear of dehydration. But a nice long soak in the shaded part of the pool calms her down every time.”  
“Just be careful so you don't overdo it. We have plenty of time to get used to things.”  
“Don't worry mate, I won't.”  
The teasing tone made Takeshi groan, ever since Emelie and Knight had been joined with the river spirits there had been certain issues with intimacy, the spirits were strong, but young, and had reacted strongly to the packs usual intimacies.  
Bottom line, Takeshi had been unable to have sex with his mate for almost a week, and even after they got past the initial issues the spirit would still get embarrassed and try to hide half the time things got heated, which was a few times a day.  
  


  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“ _Easy, don't push it if you are starting to feel uncomfortable. We will just stay here until you feel better.”_  
Jenna was having problems with adapting to the pressure again and Takeshi could feel that she was getting frustrated.  
_“It's no good, I'm just slowing you guys down.”  
“It's okay sweetie. You just need a bit more time to acclimate, your natural form isn't aquatic so it's harder for you. And the girls' youth makes it easy for them to adapt.”_  
_“I know. It's just so frustrating. You guys would have been at the bottom by now if it wasn't for me.”_  
Takeshi wouldn't deny that she was right, that would have been pointless, adapting themselves to Jenna had them about halfway to their goal after two weeks.  
_“We probably would have, yes. But we are not in that much of a hurry. We knew that this could take months, if it was even possible. It's been two weeks and we are nearly halfway there.”_  
Sensing Jenna's distress the twins came gliding and circled around her, brushing their tails against hers.  
  


Takeshi had been overjoyed, and more than a little proud that both the twins and Jenna had been able to take hybrid forms similar to Amanda's, Dan had managed as well, but he preferred his full dragon form.  
The form of the aquatic creature was quite large and he might not be able to use it later, but as long as he used it he was not bothered at all by the environment, but since they didn't know if he would be able to use it later on he had been using a form similar to the others, but his tail was purely dragon, not fish.  
The tail of Takeshi's borrowed form was mostly dragon as well, but with hints of shark in the shape and placement of the fins, and just like Dan his form had a vertical tail rather than a horizontal fluke like the females of the group.  
The twins sported large colorful fins that flowed like the fins of a Betta, but their tiny, rainbow, scales were purely dragon and their fluke was rather elaborate with several layers of fins, and Takeshi knew they were hiding spines with potent venom in their deceptively soft fins and flukes.  
Jenna's form was different, the shape of her tail and fins looked like the _Glaucus Atlanticus,_ Blue Sea slug _,_ or just Blue Dragon, but her coloration was somewhat different, especially while they had been in shallow waters where she appeared to be pure dark blue, almost black but as they descended deeper, into the twilight zone where light from the surface was scarce, her body began to light up with patterns of a ghostly pale blue glow.  
They had all followed Amanda's and Jenna's lead and brought patterns of bioluminescence into their forms as they descended into the midnight zone where there was no natural light, the only source of light was the sweeping beams of light from the Salacia below them as Angel scanned the area.  
  


While they waited for Jenna to adapt to the new depth the sweeping searchlights below stilled and the light scattered into a soft glow as Angel began to bring the Salacia back up to their level.  
The main platform of the DSV was quite large, 120 meters long and 70 meters wide, but if needed it could split apart into smaller components that could be rearranged to fit the bottom conditions and it would remain behind when they left to perform long term studies.  
From it Angel would be able to launch a wide range of smaller vessels to perform whatever surveys she needed, there were swarms of small drones that could be sent out to map the surroundings, medium sized submarines that could work independently of the platform and collect readings and samples as well as larger tethered submarines with more advanced sensors and ability to collect larger samples.  
At the moment the Salacia was their home of sorts, on top of the platform was a larger caged area designed to store hardier samples, but for now it acted as a safe place for the pack to rest, the cage would not only keep predators out, it would also prevent them from drifting apart in their sleep.  
Learning to sleep underwater had been the hardest part so far, they had begun practicing back at the island but there had still been issues during their dive.  
At first they had been having a hard time falling asleep, and once asleep they were plagued by nightmares as their human minds struggled to accept sleeping under water, but they were mostly over that now.  
The main issue they were having at this stage of the expedition was the twins getting bored as there was very little to see or do down in the abyss and Takeshi found himself immensely grateful that the two shadow spawns that the twins had named Gere and Freke had proved to be strong and intelligent creatures, they had taken to the water like, well, fish to water.  
The two shadow creatures had adapted their form into something that looked a lot like an _Akhlut_ , the Orca, Wolf, hybrid of Inuit mythology, but with their own demonic twist, their fins and spine had webbing and they sported a few whip like appendages with glowing spots and they had a lateral line like a fish that also sported glowing spots.  
With the two shadows keeping the twins entertained most of the time they had been making pretty good speed but the trench was deep, dark and cold.  
  


“ _How about we head for the Salacia and get something to eat and rest for a while?”_  
The platform carried their food supply, hunting was scarce in the abyss so they had stored enough food to last them for a year in special containers protected by stasis fields to make sure they would not run out of food, especially since the effort of adapting used quite a bit of energy.  
The rest of the pack quickly agreed and as soon as angel had brought the platform to their level they swam for the caged area that had been their home for the past two weeks.  
“How is the descent going?”  
At Angels question Takeshi quickly turned to Emelie who was the only one to wear a radio that allowed her to speak to angel:  
Takeshi could only hear Angel thanks to the small communications implant he carried behind his left ear, an upgraded version of the one he had used during his time with the GCTI, while uncomfortable it had its uses.  
_“Tell her we are doing fine, Jenna just needs some time to acclimate.”  
“Will do.”  
_The river spirit that inhabited Emelie's body took control of the water around her and created a pocket of breathable air around her head that allowed her to speak into the radio.  
They had tried to make the same for Knight, but he simply did not have the power to withstand the process needed, the change in pressure too much for his mixed heritage.  
“It might cheer her up to know that according to my readings you have officially made it past the halfway point.”  
Angel's information was indeed something that might cheer Jenna up a bit, and he had a little surprise hidden away for the pack to celebrate the occasion.  
_“Jenna, you might like the news. Angel tells me we have just passed the halfway point.”_  
His silent words were met with cheering and rather exuberant acrobatics as well as excited flashes of bioluminescence, the shadows joined the excitement with short barks of sonar clicks that made Takeshi's ears ring as he had the misfortune of being in the direct path of the focused clicks.  
He had considered using sonar clicks to communicate with Angel, but had abandoned the idea outside of emergencies since the only language he would be able to use was Morse code and while he was adequately proficient in the language it was somewhat limited and cumbersome for normal conversations.  
  


“ _Daddy, what's that?”_  
The twins curiosity peaked when Takeshi brought out the small container with his little surprise treat.  
_“Oh, just a little something to celebrate with.”_  
Opening the container disabled the stasis field and moments later a few live zimara swam out and tasted the unfamiliar water.  
_“Go ahead, catch them before they get away.”_  
There wasn't any real risk of them actually getting away though, the creatures were slow and adapted for much warmer and shallower waters.  
The others joined the somewhat lazy hunt and before long all the creatures had been caught, and promptly consumed.  
  


  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Challenger Deep_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


A pressure wave carried through the water as the Salacia settled down on the ocean floor with a thud, stirring up a cloud of dust and sand, and with a soft whirring the platform unfolded and began anchoring itself to the ocean bed.  
  


“ _My journey ends, as yours begins.”  
“Find the gateway, the world beyond.”  
“Follow the light, of Artemis gift.”  
“Be strong, be safe, Pathfinder.”_  
  


Stormborn had been visiting them a few times a day to help make sure that they would reach the bottom close to access-point of the labyrinth that protected Atlantis, but now it was time for the Avatar of Memory to leave their side.  
_“What have I said about names, Stormborn?”  
_  


“ _Apologies, Pathfinder.”_  
  


The cheeky tone made Takeshi smile and pat the huge creature.  
_“You take care as well.”_  
  


It had taken them just over six weeks to reach the bottom, and Takeshi planned on spending a week recovering and exploring before going into the small area of the borderlands that started just a few hundred meters away from the platform.

 


	2. The Path to Atlantis

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Path to Atlantis_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


Takeshi slowly unwrapped himself from Emelie and Knight and allowed his body to drift toward the slithering mass of Amanda, Jenna and Dan, with a sigh he coiled his body around them and tasted their response on the water.  
One of the downsides of the borrowed form was the fact that it made sex a bit more complicated, and Emelie's need to feed had increased due to the power required to sustain both her altered form and the spirit within.  
For some reason Emelie had a hard time feeding from the sexual energy generated by their altered forms and Takeshi didn't have the life-force to spare to allow her to feed exclusively on that.  
So to keep her fed Knight had to be the one to supply the sexual energy while Takeshi coiled around them, adding his touch to it, but once Knight was spent she would turn to Takeshi to find satisfaction as there were certain _compatibility issues_ between her and Knight.  
They didn't dare have her change her form back to human despite the spirit within, unsure how it would react.  


Letting his instincts run free Takeshi had found that in his current form sex mostly consisted of a lot of coiling and rubbing against his partner, much like how snakes mated, actual penetration was a very small part of it.  
It took quite a bit of effort to even reach the point where penetration became possible and Angel had theorized that it might be related to pheromones released by the females when they were ovulating.  
The lack of penetration didn't prevent them from taking great pleasure in the act though, it was different, but the release was just as powerful.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Path to Atlantis_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


“ _Okay, now pull back on the lever to arm the weapon.”_  
Jenna nodded and pulled back on the arming lever of her modified speargun before aiming for her target.  
She knew the steps and had trained with the weapon before, but going through the basics helped her relax and focus on the shot.  
_“Dammit! I still can't hit properly...”_  
Her agitation and frustration gave the water a sour, almost metallic taste that Takeshi found he disliked a lot.  
_“Easy, relax. It won't help you to get worked up.”_  
Bringing up another of the arrow like spears she went through the steps again before Takeshi helped her find her stance, the problem was that she was having a hard time finding her balance in her current form.  
She did somewhat okay as long as she had something solid to coil her lower body around, but she needed to be able to fire with at least some accuracy while swimming freely.  
_“I can't even hit the target, much less get a good hit.”_  


Emelie had been watching Takeshi work with Jenna for hours and she could feel them both growing increasingly frustrated, Jenna with her inability to hit what she was aiming for, and Takeshi with the fact that Jenna was blaming and denigrating herself.  
As she watched Jenna break down into tears she got a strange feeling, as if something was vibrating within and after a few moments she realized it was Minerva trying to get her attention so she turned her focus inward.  
It was hard to understand the old weapon, but she could tell that Minerva wanted to be handed to Jenna, to see if they could work together so she slowly swam over to where Takeshi was trying too soothe Jenna who was still crying softly in his arms.  
_“Take, Jenna, a moment please.”_  
They both turned to her and after a moment Takeshi let go of Amanda and slid through the water and coiled around Emeliet, tasting the water before shaking his head at the lack of taste from her and the strong taste of frustration from himself and Jenna.  
_“Sorry, instincts.”_  
The longer Takeshi stayed in a borrowed form, the more sway the foreign instincts gained over his behavior.  
_“Don't worry. I know.”_  
She brushed her hand along the dorsal fin which made his tail coil tighter around her and the way Jenna tasted the water and flared her fins was telling.  


Taste replacing scent was one of the things that had been the hardest to get used to, pheromones carried very well in the water, but despite having noses and functioning lungs they were unable to use them to pick up smells under water.  
They were unsure about the anatomic details, but inhaling through the nose brought the air, or water, straight into the lungs, which would cause them to drown if done underwater, inhaling through the mouth however brought the air, or water, through an internal section of gills, passing the usable gasses straight into the blood.  
Fortunately the form came with several underwater adaptations to the seemingly human half, including nasal plugs similar to those found in the blowhole of dolphins and whales that prevented them from inhaling through the nose while underwater.  
The gills worked differently than breathing through the nose and the chemical signals picked up in the water were interpreted as taste rather than smell.  
The fact that they were capable of speaking while underwater was a complete mystery though, one that Takeshi was hoping they would be able to solve if they made it to Atlantis.  
It was very uncomfortable though so everyone just used the bond to communicate.  


“ _This is payback for me playing with your tail, isn't it?”  
_The mock complaint earned Takeshi a few snickers from his pack, and absolutely no sympathy. _  
“And the wings, don't forget the wings.”_  
Emelie's teasing quip earned her a harsh kiss.  
_“Now if you think you can control yourself, how about we get to why I interrupted you?”_  
The small puff of bubbles from the gills was the closest thing to a huff that Takeshi's current form was capable of and it made Emelie smile and shake her head at him.  
“ _While you were practicing Minerva spoke to me.”_  
The mention of the sapient bow instantly had Takeshi's attention, and it sparked Jenna's curiosity, she had heard the story of how Knight joined them.  
_“Jenna, Minerva wants you to hold her, to see if you are compatible.”  
“But why would she want that?”_  
Emelie could see the tension in Takeshi's shoulders and she felt the same, it was hard to see the usually proud woman lose faith in herself.  
_“Because she believes you to be worthy. You are a huntress, a daughter of the wild. You give all that you are to defend the weak. You went alone against the gang who hurt your cousin and Amber.“_  
Jenna calmed down slightly, but she still looked hesitant.  
_“You remind her of Akylea.”  
“Her original wielder?”  
“Yes.”  
“I guess we could try then...”_  
Emelie nodded and brought Minerva out from her soul and held out her compact form to Jenna who looked rather apprehensive, but when Takeshi brushed against her she snapped out of it and took the curled bone handle.  


“ _Open your soul to her, just like you did with your familiar. Let her feel you and let her tap into your energy. She possesses power of her own, but it's your power, your intent, that fuels her. She acts as a focus, and an amplifier.”_  
At first nothing happened, but then Jenna's eyes went wide and gained a slightly blank look that Emelie and Takeshi both recognized, they looked the same when communicating with their own weapons.  
A few minutes later her eyes cleared and Minerva changed into her bow form and drawing power from Jenna's aura the string flickered to life, a clear sign that she had accepted Jenna and was ready to be wielded.  
_“Have you fired a bow before?”  
“Yeah, but mostly compound bows, it's been awhile since I used a recurve so I might need some time to used to it. Not to mention get used to not using arrows.”  
“No arrows?”_  
Takeshi's curiosity was instantly piqued as the fletching of a regular arrow was unsuitable for use underwater, bow-fishers usually used solid fiberglass arrows without fletching.  
_“Minerva told me she can create arrows from pure power since we don't have any regular arrows.”_  
_“I imagine that uses quite a bit of energy, so I think we should practice with real arrows fist.”_  
While he was curious to see it in action Takeshi still cautioned against it, at least until she felt comfortable with regular arrows, arrows that could easily be made from sanctuary crystals.  
_“But, we don't have any arrows, do we?”_  
_“We can make some arrows from Sanctuary crystals, it should work well since bowfishing arrows don't require any fletching.”  
_Jenna looked somewhat hesitant, but Emelie quickly nodded in understanding. _  
_

“ _I'll get right on it.”  
_Emelie pushed back a bit and swam over to one of the more focused light beams from the Salacia where she took out the small pouch with crystal sand and poured a small amount into her hand and made the grains grow into a more easily handled size.  
She picked out roughly 50 grains and poured the rest back into the pouch, the first grain she grew into a quiver to hold the arrows before growing the rest into straight rods with a nock at one end.  
Looking at the partial arrows she decided to divide them into bunches and test different types of heads, then Jenna could test which type worked the best, she even managed to make a few trial versions of bowfishing heads.  
The bowfishing heads were a bit more complex to make as they had moving parts, but over the years Emelie had grown highly skilled at manipulating the crystals into behaving the way she wanted them to.  
Each of the arrows would shrink to take less space in the quiver, and expand when pulled from it, and once they stopped after being fired they would begin to glow to make it easier to find and retrieve them.  


“ _Jenna, try this one.”_  
Emelie handed her one of the basic arrows she had just made.  
_“It's beautiful, I can't use this! I'm gonna break it, or lose it in the dark.”  
“Don't worry, it won't break, and you won't lose it so easily. Try one and you'll see what I mean.”_  
Jenna nodded and nocked the arrow and took a deep breath before raising Minerva and pulling back on the string, releasing it a moment later.  
Takeshi and Emelie both felt the relief when the arrow began to glow, revealing itself to be set in the outer ring of the target.  
_“She's amazing...”_  
Jenna's awe made them smile knowingly, it was a special feeling to connect to a sapient weapon, especially the first time you actually wielded it while connected.  
_“Nice shot.”  
“It's better but not good.”  
_Jenna tried to brush of Takeshi's compliment on the improvement. _  
“Stop being so hard on yourself.”_  
Jenna sighed deeply, but after a moment she nodded and fired a few more arrows and much to everyone's relief all of them hit the target.  
_“Minerva is really good help, she can feel when my stance is off.”_  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Path to Atlantis_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


“ _Daddy, can we shoot some bow too?”_  
The twins had been watching Jenna practice for a while and were getting rather bored which meant they needed to be distracted before they decided to entertain themselves with mischief.  
_“We don't have any bow's you can use. I'm sorry.”_  
Their shoulders instantly dropped, along with their fins which only enhanced the kicked puppy look.  
_“Maybe we can make a pair of simple bows from the materials in the Salacia? All we need is something strong but slightly flexible for the limbs and some kind of wire for the string. They won't be very accurate, but bushbows are good practice.”_  
Jenna had occasionally made bushbows during her time traveling with her father to various wildlife preserves, living with local tribes.  
_“I could make the limbs from Sanctuary crystal, but I don't know what to use for the strings. Maybe some kumo-silk would work if Take still has some hidden away in that warehouse of his?”_  
Emelie instantly offered to help while turning to Takeshi to see if he had the missing materials.  
_“I do have some left, but maybe we should make more permanent bows. and use dragon sinew instead? It's stronger, and it channels power better if they wish to learn how to.”_  
The others quickly agreed that it might be a good idea to make bows intended for more permanent use for the girls.  


“ _We should make a full size test bow first, to test different designs. Minerva tells me that the water disrupts her somewhat, fighting against her limbs, stealing some of her power.”_  
Minerva's design with her flattened limbs was fairly normal for a recurve bow, but the added resistance of the water affected her power.  
_“So, we need something more aero-, eh, hydrodynamic to maintain full power?”  
“Yeah, narrow limbs. But that should be easy with this crystal, right?”  
“Yeah, it doesn't have the same limitations as normal materials.”_  
Takeshi just smiled at the way Jenna and Emelie completely forgot about everything else and focused on figuring out how to make bows for the girls and it didn't take long before the rest of the pack joined them.  


“ _Can't you make it look like the Moon Goddess Crystal Bladebow?”_  
Maria piped up from her position resting her elbows on Knight's shoulder, both twins preferred resting in positions that allowed their fins to hang down freely.  
_“Is that from the game you girls have been playing?”  
“Mhm. It's the best elven bow in the entire game!”  
“Game weapon designs aren't always very useful, but we can try if you can describe it.”  
“Well, it has a blade in the front and it's really thin.”_  
Maria started to describe the weapon.  
_“And it has these three tips instead of one.”_  
Sarah eagerly added, but the description didn't make much sense.  
_“Okay, hold on. Let me see if Angel can give us a projection of it.”_  
Emelie interrupted them and focused on talking to Angel and a few moments later the holographic projector came to life and projected a beautiful bow into the water next to where they were gathered.  
Emelie and Jenna studied the design for a while before deciding that it could probably be done.  
_“I think we can make something similar. But how about we make something simple first? To see if using sanctuary crystals like that actually works.”  
_A benefit of working with Sanctuary crystals was the ability to change the shape freely, there would be no need to get new materials if a prototype failed to perform. _  
“Okay...”_  


Some ten minutes later Emelie handed the first prototype to Jenna for inspection.  
_“It looks good. Take, could you string it please?”  
“If it's okay with you I'll use kumo-silk for the prototype, then we can use dragon sinew for the real thing.”_  
_“It's your, and Kiryu's, call. After all, it's the two of you who will be suffering the pain of obtaining it.”_  
Taking the unstrung bow Takeshi brought a small roll of kumo-silk cord out of his shift and used it to string the bow, but rather than cutting the cord to length he simply tied it off and allowed the remaining roll to hang from the bottom limb of the bow.  
_“Arrow?”_  
Jenna offered one of the simple arrows and Takeshi took it and nocked it before drawing and letting it fly, hitting the target about half way from the center.  
Taking another arrow he drew again and let it fly, hitting the center perfectly.  
_“You're really good.”  
_Jenna was clearly impressed that he had adjusted his aim to the unfamiliar weapon with just a single shot, and there was a slight hint of annoyed jealousy in her tone that had the others snickering softly. _  
“I have had plenty of practice.”_  
Handing the bow to Jenna he swam up to the target and retrieved the arrows.  
_“Jenna, you try it now.”  
“It's too long for me.”  
“Don't worry, I can fix that.”_  
Emelie took the bow and with a pulse of energy she shortened it and Jenna quickly retied the string and shot a few arrows, though not as accurate as Takeshi she did hit the target.  


When the light of the Salacia dimmed to tell them it was nighttime the twins were hitting fairly well with their new bows, most of the arrows hitting the inner half of their assigned target.  
_“They are grouping their shots pretty well for being so young.”_  
Jenna was a bit surprised that they were learning so fast.  
_“You forget that they are older than they look. They were 9 when they received the blessing, and in the weeks after their blessing the began to look younger, but they are actually 15 now.”  
“They don't act 15 though... And they don't look older than 6 or 7 now.”_  
Takeshi explained that they would probably act like children for quite a few years, that their physical aging was tied to their mental, and emotional maturity.  
There was also a distinct component of intent in their form, they were intentionally preventing their own maturation.  
_“Acting and looking like children is their safety-net? Their way of making sure they can stay close to you and Emelie?”  
“Exactly. But if you watch them you will notice that they will occasionally get serious and act their true age. And I have a feeling that if they really wanted to they could shift into a form to match.”_  
While they spoke the twins collected their arrows and headed for the caged area that was their temporary home.  
It didn't take long for everyone to gather around and make quick work of the food that Knight had helped Dan prepare while the others had worked with the bows.  
_“Girls, it's time to feed you little egg again.”  
_Takeshi interrupter the twins play with the shadow spawns as he could feel a slight impatient hunger gnawing within that he knew wasn't his own.  
_“Okay!”_  
They quickly swam to his side and curled in close before placing their hands on his and a few moments later their auras merged and Takeshi started absorbing the energy and channel it to the phoenix egg he carried within his soul and the budding life drank eagerly.  
_“Go on, get some sleep.”_  
Takeshi gave their tails a gentle slap and chased them toward the pile of bodies that was the rest of the pack.  
With his pack gathered he coiled his body around them and settled down to rest and watch the others sleep, it was his turn to keep watch.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Path to Atlantis_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


With breakfast out of the way Takeshi called for the others to gather around.  
_“Since everyone is fully acclimated to this environment it's time to move on and start the real search for Atlantis. The day after tomorrow we will enter the borderlands.”_  
The reaction was one of eager anticipation, giving the water an almost electric taste that was hard to describe, obviously the twins were not the only ones getting bored.  
Takeshi had intended to head out earlier, but decided to wait a few more days for a bit of combat training, Knight did reasonably well as long as he could get something solid to stand on and Emelie seemed fine, her training in fighting while flying helping immensely, Dan hadn't found a weapon he liked but he did okay with the modified speargun.  
His new form however gave him a far more effective weapon, he was able to not only generate high power electric shocks but also a form of dragon-breath that allowed him to shock, freeze, or generate a powerful whirlpool effect.  
Amanda had a wide array of natural weapons based on her powerful venom but they decided that she should add another weapon and she had opted for simple spears.  
Jenna had Minerva and the twins had their bows while Takeshi relied on his blades, and his Harigata Bo-Shuriken, throwing-needles.  


“ _Daddy! Daddy! Look!”_  
Maria's excited calls drew Takeshi from his musings as she pointed to the ocean floor where he had drawn a target in the sand for her, looking at the target he noted that she had grouped all five arrows within the inner circle, one of them piercing the shell he had put down to represent the bullseye.  
_“That's really good.”_  
She instantly lit up with a brilliant smile at the praise.  
_“Now, do you think you can do it again?”  
“I will!”_  
The determined set of her jaw made Takeshi smile, he had no doubt she would be able to reliably repeat the performance in no time at all and the competitive nature of the twins' own brand of sibling rivalry would ensure that Sarah kept up.  


“ _Enough dawdling. Let's go.”_  
Takeshi rounded up his pack and ushered them toward the edge of the borderlands, and just beyond it, a crevice that lead into a large cave system that Angel had spent days trying to explore, but the small drones were unable to actually enter the borderlands.  
The slowly crossed into the borderlands, making sure to pay attention to any negative effects as they left the human realm behind and entered into the crevice.  
Takeshi could feel Knight's discomfort at the tight and dark space, but as usual Emelie moved up to his side to offer him the comfort of a possible escape should it become to narrow for him and before long he was forced to stop as the tunnel narrowed, only leaving enough room for the slender bodies of a mermaid, or merman.  
_“Wait here, I will move deeper and see if it widens further in.”  
“Be careful...”_  
He could feel the entire pack echo Amanda's concern. _  
“Don't worry. If it gets too narrow I can shadow travel back outside the cave.”  
_

Takeshi took a steadying breath as he adjusted the headband with the glowing crystal that they used for headlamps, the easily adjustable brightness and color paired with the lack of batteries made it far more useful than a regular lamp.  
As he pushed deeper the tunnel narrowed further and when the spines of his dorsal fin and pelvic fins both touched the walls he was almost overcome by an intense instinctual fear, but he managed to clamp down on it before the others could feel it.  
Folding his fins tightly against his body he focused on saturating the water with a calm scent so that the others would not be able to taste his fear and dropped a few of the glowing crystals before using his arms to pull himself along through the narrow tunnel.  
He estimated he had traveled about 100 meters when the tunnel widened into a large spherical cavern with a lot of tunnels splitting of in various directions.  
_“I'm through. There is a large cavern here.”  
_His pack all echoed their relief over the bond at the information. _  
“Is it clear for me shadow-travel?”  
“It is, grab the big guy and come to me.”  
_A few moments later Emelie and Knight appeared slightly below and behind him, using the shadow of his body to bypass the narrow tunnel.  
_“The rest you can make it through on your own. But I want you to fold your fins tightly as you pass through the narrow part.”  
“Why?”  
_Jenna's tone was curious but it did carry a slight tinge of concern. _  
“It would seem these forms have an instinctive fear of tight places that is triggered if your dorsal and pelvic fins all touch the surrounding walls. And if you panic in the tunnel you could get hurt, or worse. So fold them tightly and use your arms when you reach the part that I marked with crystals.”  
_There was an echo of agreement and a few minutes later the rest of his pack emerged from the tunnel, Amanda bringing up the rear with the glowing crystals he had left in the tunnel in her hands.  
_“Wow, this place is big!”_  
The twins swam large circles around the rest of the pack trying to count how many tunnels the large cavern held.  
_“It is, and we need to make a map of it before we move on.”  
_Takeshi divided the area into sections and began the exploration while Emelie, who was the best at manipulating the crystals, and had the best sense for 3D environments was given the task to create a globe of sorts to map the cavern. _  
_

“ _All the tunnels look and feel the same.”  
_Knight confirmed Dan's earlier report when he returned from checking his section of the cavern. _  
“Guess this is the labyrinth part.”  
_Jenna huffed as she returned from her section. _  
_ They had spent almost three hours mapping the large cavern and as far as they could tell all the tunnels except the one they came from were the same.  
_“I guess everyone else got the same results as me.”_  
Takeshi returned last as he had given himself the largest area to cover.  
_“Yeah, no way to tell one tunnel from another save for the one we arrived through.”_  
Emelie held out the orb to Takeshi and together they marked the tunnels he had checked.  
Gathering around they agreed that this cavern had to be the labyrinth that protected the path to Atlantis.  
_“Em, sweetie. How about you try to bring out that crown that Artemis gave you? She said it would be able to lead us to Atlantis.”_  
With a small wash of power Emelie followed Takeshi's suggestion and the wreath like silver crown with the aquamarine flowers appeared nestled among her horns.  
_“I can't feel anything, and it doesn't seem like anything changed.”  
“Maybe if you channel some power through it?”_  
She just nodded and focused some of her power on the crown.  
At first the trickle of energy only made the gemstones glow slightly then Emelie gasped silently and a wave of energy exploded out from her and lit up the entire cavern before fading away.  


“ _Look, that tunnel is glowing!”_  
Sarah pointed toward one of the tunnels, and true to her words it was glowing with the same light as the crown and when Takeshi took a closer look the tunnel looked very different, it looked very much like the tunnel that lead to the Wisteria Sanctuary hidden beneath the caves that Amarok and his pack called home.  
_“Let's go.”_  
They carefully entered the tunnel and it didn't take long before it opened up into another large cavern, but this time there was a threshold at the opening, leaving the borderland and entering another realm.  
Takeshi paused at the feeling of distortion, of strangeness, it was a feeling he was familiar with, but he needed confirmation so he reached within and called forth the old dragon.  
_“Kiryu-sama, this feeling. It's a temporal distortion, a chronoshift, right?”_  
As he suspected she would the dragon left him and manifested by his shoulder, the power of the new realm plenty enough to sustain her.  
_**“It is.”**_ _  
“It feels weaker than the one at the Obsidian Halls though.”  
__**“It is, this one is slower by a factor of three to one.”**_ _  
“So three hours here is one hour back home?”_  
Maria piped up.  
_**“That is right little one.”**_ **  
**

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Path to Atlantis_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


The new cavern was just like the previous one, only slightly smaller and once they had mapped it Emelie called on the power of the crown and it came alive under a pulse of aqua light.  
Once again one of the tunnels came to life and the pack quickly moved to it and through it.  
Takeshi estimated they had been mapping caverns for about a week when they found themselves in a larger cavern, just like the first one, but this time the exit tunnel was large, and when they exited they found themselves in a strange sea.  


Before them lay a great underwater forest, they were still down deep, the water cold and dark, but it was very much alive, great coral reefs, strange alien fish and plants, all glowing with their own light.  
A forest of glowing kelp reached above them, further than they could see and among the towering plants large schools of fish moved lazily with the gentle swaying.  
_“This place. My soul knows this place, it knows the way to Atlantis from here.”_  
Amanda's tone held awe, and certainty.  
_“Then let's find a place to rest, and when morning comes, you lead the way.”_  
The pack quickly nodded their agreement to Takeshi's suggestion.  
Looking around they found a wide and fairly deep crevice in the mountainside that offered shelter and a closer look revealed a thermal vent about halfway in, but unlike the black smokers of their home this one was pure, generating none of the toxic fumes, only pure heat.  
The reef and kelp forest offered a rich bounty of fresh food, something that they were more than happy for after eating nothing but rations for a week.  


“ _Manda, are these safe?”_  
The twins pointed to a bed of glowing clams and Amanda allowed her instincts to guide her as she inspected them.  
_“The red and yellow swirly ones are safe, but the blue wavy ones have a venom spike that can give a nasty sting, so let Take collect those.”  
“Okay!”_  
The pack watched with curiosity as twins took arrows and began skewering pieces of shellfish and wrapping them in kelp and when they sat down by the thermal went and put the makeshift skewers over the vent as if it was a campfire the pack broke down in laughter.  
Following the twins lead they cooked their meal over the vent, it wasn't hot enough to sear meat, but it was just enough to gently cook the delicate shellfish and they hadn't had warm food since they left the human realm.  
Takeshi quickly cut up the large eel like creature he had caught, wrapped the pieces in kelp and placed them in a makeshift basket that Emelie had made and lowered it into the vent to cook.  


With their bellies filled they settled down to rest, far too exhausted for their usual evening activities.  
_“Alpha, please sleep. I know you are strong, but you have refused to sleep a full night since we entered the labyrinth. Let your mate and betas keep the pack safe.”_  
Knight pleaded with Takeshi when he settled down into his usual watch position and when Takeshi was about to object he could feel his entire pack gathering their will behind Knight and Emelie.  
_“Mate, you better do as our beta asks or I will have to find some other way to make sure you rest.”  
_Emelie's smile and tone held an edge that clearly told him he better do what she asked, he might be the dominant alpha, but she was still his mate and co-alpha, and the pack was backing her. _  
“Hai hai. No need to gang up on your poor alpha.”_  
Takeshi took it all in good humor though, he had suspected his pack would pull something like this once they were out of the labyrinth, and frankly, he longed for a full night's sleep.  
The mock complaints rewarded him with huffs and snorts from his pack while he curled around the twins and settled down to sleep.  


Takeshi had just woken up and the others took a moment to relax while he kept watch. _  
“Manda, could you come here for a moment please?”_  
Takeshi's attention peaked when he noticed Emelie lead Amanda away from the pile of sleeping and resting bodies.  
_“Of course Em, what's up?”_  
Emelie removed the aquamarine crown from her head and held it out to Amanda.  
_“This was bound to me by Artemis to make sure no one would be able to take it away from me, to make sure we would be able to make it here. But now that we are here, I can feel that it wishes to be with you.”_  
For a moment Amanda just stared at Emelie and the crown with wide eyes, but then she bowed her head in acceptance and Emelie quickly placed the crown on her head where it sunk in and settled against her skin, seemingly ignoring her flowing hair.  
When Amanda looked up again her eyes had the somewhat absent, glazed look that revealed she wasn't entirely there as she reached up and removed one of the small aquamarine flowers from the back or the crown.  
_“Em, could you bring out the true form of your horns please...”_  
Emelie immediately released the full form of her horns and Takeshi could feel a surge of want from the sight of them, indicators of the power his mate held.  
Reaching out for Emelie Amanda pressed the small flower against her forehead where the base of the crown of horns dipped down and formed a V shape and the flower glowed slightly before sinking in and settling.  
When Emelie returned to her previous form with less prominent horns the flower was still there at the tip of her widow's peak, much like the transdermal implants that had been a popular piercing trend when Takeshi was young.  
Takeshi spotted the telltale curl of Emelie's tail before she suddenly grabbed Amanda and kissed her, leaving the younger female somewhat stunned before she blushed vividly and a strong taste of embarrassment and a hint of arousal drifted by.  
_“Em?!”_  
The single thought came across rather garbled as her focus was fragmented and transmitted to the entire pack.  
_“She's a succubus. Did you expect to be safe forever?”_  
Both of them instantly zeroed in on him but before they had a chance to answer his teasing Dan put in his own five cents.  
_“Man blir som man umgås...”_  
At the teasing words Amanda broke into laughter.  
The Swedish turn of phrase was hard to translate accurately, but it implied that Emelie's sometimes rather lewd behavior was something she learned from Takeshi.  
While Amanda laughed both Takeshi and Emelie turned to Dan who quickly began squirming.  
_“Hey guys, don't look at me like that! Makes me nervous...”_  
Both slowly stalked toward Dan, but before they could _punish_ him for his words the twins woke up and instantly spotted the flower on Emelie's forehead.  


With the twins distracting Emelie Amanda turned to Takeshi.  
_“Take, with your permission I want to give everyone one of these flowers. I'm not sure why, but I just know it will be useful once we reach Atlantis.”_  
Takeshi considered her request for a moment and decided to trust her instincts.  
_“Go ahead.”_  
When she approached him he bowed his head slightly as a sign of permission and she pressed it against his forehead, just below the pattern of scales and webbed fins that helped keep his hair out of his face.  
At first he couldn't sense anything from it, but soon he felt a trickle of awareness from it, an awareness that brought with it a greater understanding of the realm they were currently visiting.  
With a slight nod he gave her permission to give the others a flower as well.  


“ _I miss bread...”_  
Knight's complaint during breakfast had the others chuckling, and agreeing that there were quite a few things they missed.  
It had taken them all a bit of time to get used to the underwater diet, but it had been the hardest on Knight who loved his thick slices of bread with butter and cheese, especially coarse bread like rye or wholegrain sourdough, something that simply was not possible to eat while underwater.  
_“Aw, poor Logan. We will have to drop by the Willow Estate and get a nice big pile of Hverabrauð when we return from here.”_  
Emelie's words were half teasing, half promise.  
_“That was the really sweet rye bread they made in the hot springs, right?”_  
Sarah and Maria instantly perked up when the topic shifted to food.  
_“Yeah, that's right.”  
“I preferred Take's version, at least when not eating it as dessert.” _  
Jenna added to the debate, she had tried both versions, but the original recipe was too sweet for her taste, in her opinion the cake-like sweetness didn't really go well with the savory flavor of the rye bread.  
Even the twins agreed with her, despite having just as big a sweet tooth as any kid. **  
**

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Path to Atlantis_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


“ _What are you waiting for Manda?”_  
Takeshi swam up behind her and gave her a slight push.  
_“You're the one who knows where we are headed so get moving.”_  
Amanda rewarded his teasing by giving him a rather rude smack with her tail before darting out of reach.  
When she began moving away from the area the others simply followed her into the kelp forest, trusting her instincts to lead them true.  


The pack set a comfortable pace, fast enough to cover ground, but not so fast that it would leave them drained, especially since Knight tired faster than normal from having to supply the spirit within with energy, and his body was poorly suited for life underwater.  
The others would occasionally give him a lift to help him conserve his energy but he was uncomfortable with being carried and according to Amanda there was no real hurry, at their current pace it would take them about two weeks to reach the place where her soul told her that Atlantis was located.  
Moving faster might save them a day or two, but would leave them tired and uncomfortable, something they all agreed just wasn't worth it, at least not with the way things were at the moment.  
The surroundings were beautiful and food was plentiful, if that changed they would reevaluate if speeding up was worth it.  


On the third day of their travel the twins spotted a large swarm of octopuses gliding through the water, at first they had believed the creatures to be bioluminescent jellyfish but when they got closer it became obvious it was actually octopuses.  
The translucent bodies and webbing between the arms combined with flashes of bioluminescence and the lazy way they swam had made them look very much like jellyfish.  
Takeshi found the range in size to be intriguing, the smallest ones were no larger than his palm, while the largest one was significantly larger than all the rest, it was hard to tell accurately but he estimated that each of its arms was over 50 meters long.  
They were all the same species though and Takeshi suspected that the larger one was something similar to an Avatar, specific for that species of octopus, a Spirit beast or Matriarch as the others swarmed around it.  
They spent a few hours swimming alongside of the swarm as they were headed in the same direction and the twins were overjoyed at the chance to play with octopuses.  
But when the current shifted and the swarm began to turn away from the path the pack was headed in some of the small ones stayed with them, drifting away from their swarm and Takeshi focused his senses on the behemoth on the center of the swarm.  
At first it mirrored his cautious curiosity and he could feel it's aura and senses brush against his, then after a few moments the feeling shifted to an almost overwhelming approval and amusement.  


“ _I guess we just picked up a few travel companions.”_  
Takeshi mused when the attention of the behemoth turned away from him.  
_“Yay!”_  
As expected the twins were ecstatic at the prospect of more pets, even if they probably wouldn't stay with them for very long.  
When the pack began to pick up speed again the small creatures used their suckers to cling onto scaled tails with surprising strength, which unfortunately disturbed their movement through the water.  
Takeshi found that he was unable to pry them loose without risking to hurt them, but a small spark of power made them let go so he could move them to places where they didn't disrupt the hydrodynamics of his body as much, though, most of them were moved to Knight as they wouldn't affect him the same way.  
After sorting his own _passengers_ he helped the twins move theirs before they started moving again. **  
**

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Path to Atlantis_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


“ _Take, do you see that?”_  
Looking in the direction Dan was pointing Takeshi couldn't see anything at first, then he spotted it, a large shadow with glowing spots just at the edge of his visual range.  
_“Barely, it's probably just a school of some fish, or maybe another swarm like the one these little hitchhikers came from.”  
“I don't know. It almost looks like it's solid, one really big creature.”_  
Takeshi tried to strain his eyes further, but as he had already noticed, Dan's eyesight was better than his own in their current environment.  
_“I can't tell from here, but if you say so that's probably the case. Your eyes are the best down here, even Manda can't compete.”  
_He could feel the slight shift in Dan's aura, almost preening at the praise of his eyesight, and yet with a strong undercurrent of embarrassment. _  
“Can we take a look?”_  
It wasn't like Dan to be so curious so Takeshi found himself wanting to check it out just to see how Dan would react to it.  
_“What do you guys say? Wanna take detour?”_  
The question was rather redundant and the rest of the pack instantly agreed to go check it out.  
As the distance between them shrank it became obvious that it was a single very large creature.  
_“Now that's a Leviathan!”_  
Dan's voice was filled with awe and Takeshi found himself agreeing wholeheartedly.  


The creature was somewhat similar to a whale in its basic shape, but it was much larger than any whale that had ever existed in the human realm.  
It was still a bit hard to tell due to the lack of reference-points to judge distance, but it had to be at least ten times the size of a blue whale.  
But the basic shape of the body was about as much as it had in common with a whale, the fluke consisted of a central fin and four pairs of fins on the sides larger at the back and smaller toward the front of the creature, the flat, lance shape of the fins made it look almost like the leaf of the _Indica_ strain of hemp.  
They could also see that it had three sets of lobed pectoral fins, or flippers, they didn't know yet if it was fish, mammal, or something else entirely different though.  
Around it's mouth was several barbels that made it look a bit like a catfish and the entire underside of the creature was glowing with patterns of light, the tips of the barbels each had a brighter light, like a dragonfish and there was a spatter of small glowing dots on the belly, almost like a starry sky, but also brighter lines and larger glowing spots.  


“ _I need to get closer.”_  
Dan seemed almost hypnotized by the creature and Takeshi let a slight warning flow through the bonds that tied him with his pack, the slightly electric sensation making them gather behind him.  
_“We don't know how it will react to us coming closer, it might not even notice us, or it might consider us food.”_  
He cautioned his pack against approaching without proper care, but he didn't deny their curiosity.  
As the got closer the creature stopped, sank down to their depth and turned slightly so that its side was turned against them, in its new position they could see that it had a frill behind its head with more glowing appendages coming out of each of the points.  
They looked very much like the long, clubbed, tentacles of squid and cuttlefish, but like the barbels they were glowing rather brightly.  
_“Well, it's pretty obvious it has noticed us.”_  
Jenna's tone was slightly nervous as a row of glowing eyes focused on the group.  
_“Indeed. But it's hard to read.”_  
Takeshi's senses were on edge, but just like how it had been with Stormborn the creature's mind was just too alien for him to get an accurate read on it.  
_“Curiosity, and something calm, safe, almost like, satisfaction?”_  
There was a questioning note at the end of Dan's assessment.  
_“Sated, lack of hunger. I think it's trying to tell us that it doesn't consider us food. At least not right now.”_  
Takeshi agreed with Dan after sifting through the sensations the contact with the creature's mind brought him.  
_“I think it's safe to move closer, but be on your guard just in case.”  
_

When they moved closer the longest of the tentacles moved and reached out for them while the creature carefully remained still, the fins barely moving and Takeshi could feel a sense of care and caution from it.  
It seemed to be aware of how fragile the pack was in comparison to its own massive form and took care not to cause any turbulence in the water.  
When it came closer the glowing tip began to move and Takeshi realized it wasn't actually a club at the end of it, instead thousands upon thousands of thin strands unfurled and made it look like a cross between a pompom and a fiber-optic lamp.  
There had to be millions of glowing strands and when Takeshi held out his hand toward it several strands carefully touched his hand before gently wrapping around his fingers and through the touch he could feel curiosity and approval along with a hint of pride and something akin to reassurance.  


“ _Mind-whisperer?”_  


The word came across with a questioning note as the creature's mind actively reached for his own and Takeshi focused on trying to decipher its meaning.  
_“I think it might be asking if we are telepathic...”_  
Jenna had previous experience with learning fundamentally foreign languages the hard way from her travels with her father so Takeshi nodded slightly before reaching out with the power of the blessing and echoed the question back at the creature.  
_“Are you asking if we possess telepathy?”  
_The creature radiated approval and curiosity when Takeshi responded to its silent question. _  
_

“ _Star-singer hears, hungers for knowledge. Permission to taste?”  
_

When more of the tentacles reached out for them Takeshi quickly signaled for the others to stay back and he could feel disappointment from the creature..  
_“I am alpha, guardian, they are mine to protect. You may taste, but only me. I will decide if it is safe for them.”  
_The disappointment was instantly replaced with joy as the creature reached out for him but a few moments later Takeshi found himself nearly overwhelmed by pain as the immensely powerful mind probed his own.  
The intense pain was brief though as the creature pulled back with a sense of apology, it didn't stop entirely though until it was done and withdrew completely from his mind, leaving behind a sense of gratitude.  
When it reached toward the others Takeshi quickly moved in between them and signaled for the others to back up further.  
_“I understand you desire for knowledge, but your mind is too strong. I will not permit you to cause them pain, or risk damage.”  
_

“ _Star-singer hears, Star-singer heeds. Protection is honor.”  
_

The bright strands withdrew and coiled back into a tight ball with only a few strands reaching out, after a few moments silence the creature spoke again, this time softer, with a hopeful, almost pleading note. _  
_

“ _Star-singer offers, the gift of new heritage. A seed of change, nourish and grow, become Mind-whisperer's, blood-born.”  
_

The rather forceful blending of minds made it easier for Takeshi to understand it and he translated for the pack.  
_“It's offering to change our DNA somehow to make us true telepaths, a telepathy that will be passed on to our children, it's referring to a seed, so it's probably some kind of retrovirus.”  
_

“ _Take the seed, seek the City of Forgotten Songs. Follow the path, return with the seed in bloom. Learn and teach, nourish one who thrives on knowing.”  
_

While Takeshi spoke to the others the creature spoke up once again and once again he translated its words for them.  
_“I'm guessing the City of Forgotten Songs is Atlantis. It seems it wants to give us this seed now to let it take effect while we visit Atlantis, and then meet us again on our way back to exchange knowledge.”_  
Based on what he was feeling from the creature that referred to itself as _Star-singer_ it somehow needed knowledge to live, to grow and after a few minutes of debate with the pack it was agreed that Takeshi would accept the seed, and if he felt nothing wrong the others would follow suit, trusting that the Mother would protect her chosen and warn if the seed would harm them.  
_“I will accept the seed, I will determine if it is safe for those under my protection.”_  
Takeshi was flooded with gratitude as the glowing stands reached around him and searched along his spine and then he felt a tingling discomfort as a stand pushed inside his body before detaching from the creature.  
Turning his senses inward he focused on the entities he carried within, the shadow beast, his dragon, the power of the blessing that was his link to the Mother, tugging gently on all of them he brought up the true sum of his power to evaluate the invading organism and make sure it was not only safe for him, but for the others as well.  
_**“A Drifter, such a strange, and rare, creature to come across.”**_  
The voice of the mother was amused and she assured him that the creature meant no harm, and that the _seed_ was perfectly safe for him and his pack.  
_“What is a Drifter?”_  
The Mother refused to answer, telling him to save his questions for when they met the creature again.  


“ _The Mother assures me it's safe, so go ahead if you want to.”  
_The feeling from the Drifter was almost giddy when Jenna approached it and reached out for it with open arms, inviting it to touch her, to give it's gift.  
He watched with avid curiosity, and a hint of concern, as the glowing threads carefully examined her before one of them focused on the base of her neck and burrowed in and light seemed to flow into her before it broke off and disappeared into her body.  
_“Wow, that felt seriously weird.”  
“Any pain?”  
“No, just really strange.”_  
After Jenna pulled back the others quickly approached and received their own seed, though, it did examine Emelie for quite a while before giving it to her, obviously curious about what she was.  


“ _Go, to the City of Forgotten Songs. Star-singer will go, wait at the gateway.”_  


With those words the creature that the Mother had called a drifter slowly moved away from them and headed in the direction they came from.  
_“Let's get moving, shall we?”_  
Takeshi nipped at Emelie's fin to get her moving and soon the rest of the pack followed.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Path to Atlantis_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


“ _Are we there yet?”  
_The classic question from the twins made Takeshi smile. _  
“Almost, we should be able to see the city once we clear this ridge.”  
_Amanda huffed at their impatience, she had told them they should reach the city sometime during the day and the twins had been asking what felt like every 5 minutes since.  


For the past 4 days the waters had been growing steadily warmer as they followed a coral covered ridge into shallower waters, they had left the abyssal zone behind and were traveling through the midnight zone, though it was not as dark as it had been in the human realm, there were plenty of bioluminescent creatures and plants as well as light emitting crystals.  
Takeshi estimated that they would ascend another 2 kilometers before reaching the crest of the ridge which would bring them close to the edge of the twilight zone  
Based on what Amanda had told them the city would be just beyond the ridge of what seemed to be the caldera of a large volcano.  


“ _Look! What is that?”_  
Maria pointed toward the ridge where a pillar of light could be seen rising straight up toward the surface.  
_“It looks like some kind of pillar or tower.”_  
Dan once again proved the value of his eyes  
_“It must be the central tower, the memories my soul has shared with me shows a grand tower in the middle of the city, a tower that reaches above the surface.”_  
Hearing that the light was a part of Atlantis made the group increase their pace and before long they reached the peak of the ridge.  


“ _Wow!”  
“It's beautiful!”  
“It's amazing...”_  
Jenna and the twins were voicing their opinion of the city that spread across the caldera beneath them and Takeshi found himself agreeing.  
_“Take, is it just me or does that look more like an asteroid crater than a caldera?”  
_Dan's words made Takeshi pause for a moment, and after a closer look at the ridge formation he found himself agreeing. _  
“Yeah, it does. It must have been one hell of a hit.”  
_It was a bit hard to judge distance and scale as there was no good reference points, but the crater was probably about 20 kilometers across and at the very center of it a grand palace rose toward the surface and around it the city spread, an intricate latticework of buildings and bridges.  
_“It looks like a wedding cake...”  
“Danny!”  
_Dan's somewhat simple, but accurate description was met with displeased hisses from Jenna and the girls.  
Dan had a point though, there were three tiered layers of walls around the central spire that made it look very much like a wedding cake.  
_“You have no sense for beauty!”_  
The girls were still complaining about Dan's description and the bantering mate Takeshi smile.  
_“My sense for beauty must be dulled from always having these adorable little girls, beautiful females, and stunning males so close.”_  
The flattering words silenced the complaints, but didn't get Dan completely off the hook.  
_“Hmpf, and here I thought daddy was supposed to be the incorrigible flirt...”  
“Man blir som man umgås?”_  
The deadpan delivery made the twins break down in giggles despite the discomfort of doing so underwater.  
_“It really is beautiful though.”_  
Dan conceded with an almost wistful tone as he slid up by Takeshi's and filled the water with the taste of gratitude.  
While enjoying the taste of Dan's feelings Takeshi took a moment to look at the city, and the dome of power that covered it.  
_“Well, let's see if we can't find a gate or something to get us past this barrier. It might not be appreciated if we just force our way through it.”_  
The others quickly agreed and they headed into the caldera and the low coral wall that the barrier emanated from.  


“ _So, Danny, are those pretty blue eyes of yours seeing anything that could be a gate?”_  
Takeshi's teasing tone made Dan take a swipe at him with his tail before circling around and coming up at his side again.  
_“I think so, those inner walls all look like 9 pointed stars and the outer wall here has domes spread in the same way, so I'm guessing those domes might be a good place to start.”_  
Taking aim for the nearest dome they began swimming toward it.  
_“Can we race there?”_  
The twins were eager to reach the end of their journey and their exuberant energy was contagious so before long they were darting toward the small dome while the adults teasingly nipped at their tails.  


“ _Look, they look like sharks!”_  
A pair of guards lounged outside the dome and they took up positions when they spotted the group.  
As they came closer Takeshi could taste traces of surprise and uncertainty in the water, it would seem their arrival had unsettled the guards.  
“Welcome travelers, to the great city of Atlantis.”  
Another guard spoke up from inside the dome, this one looked like a spotted eagle ray and was holding some sort of writing implements and Takeshi was relieved to find that he spoke Urui.  
There was a distinct dialect, but it was easy enough to understand.  
“Thank you.”  
Takeshi blew a puff of bubbles from his gills as he spoke, struggling to suppress an instinctive need to cough triggered by the strange feeling of speaking underwater.  
“Are you unwell?”  
The guard looked rather concerned and Takeshi could see him carefully tasting the water for any trace of contagions.  
“No, just unaccustomed to speaking this way. I'm a shapeshifter, this is only a borrowed form and I'm poorly accustomed to speaking while underwater. I prefer using the mental bond I share with my pack.”  
Takeshi had decided not to hide his ability to shift, it would be easier to explain that than explain why a creature that was supposed to be aquatic was occasionally uncomfortable or awkward in the water.  
“Ah, I see, that's good. As much as we welcome travelers we still need to be careful. Now, may I have your names for the records please?”  
It may have sounded like a question, but there was no doubt they would not be allowed into the city if they didn't comply.  


“I am Takeshi Kiryu, alpha of Pack Kiryu and Yemo of House Shamarai. This is my mate and co-alpha, Emelie Eriksson, Yema of House Miri, Huntress of the Obsidian Halls and Shirai Lilim.”  
There was a slight taste of shock in the water at the mention of Emelie's heritage, but the guard quickly got himself under control as Takeshi continued.  
“These are our betas, Logan Knight and Amanda Kaiyou.”  
Both of them nodded when their names were mentioned.  
“My simoro and second in line to Logan, Dan Lindgren. And this lovely creature is Jenna Addams, Seed bearer, Huntress and second in line to Amanda, all of house Shamarai. The girls are Sarah and Maria Eriksson of House Shamarai Miri.”  
Takeshi noticed another slight reaction when he mentioned that he was courting Dan, though, he was unsure if it was because they were both males, or because he was already mated.  
Everything they knew about merfolk indicated that they were strictly monogamous, to the point of being incapable of being with another.  
It was a rare trait, but it did occur from time to time among demonic species.  
“And those two creatures?”  
The guard pointed toward the two shadows that were playing _Catch the tail_ with the twins.  
“Those are Gere and Freke, the girls' pets.”  
“Excellent. If you wait here I will have passes made for you. It might take a while though so make yourself comfortable.”  
“Just one question before you go please?”  
“Of course.”  
“Is there some kind of guide that might be willing to help us find our way around here, and help us sort things like currency or some means of trade to earn our keep while we are here?”  
“I am sure one of the apprentices of the Historians Guild will be more than happy to earn some experience by being your guides. I will send someone to ask while I prepare the passes.”  
“That would be most appreciated. Thank you.”  


Takeshi had barely had time to make himself comfortable in the sitting-area when a sharp flare of an aura told him something was wrong and a moment later the water became saturated with the acrid taste of poison and he could feel his body rapidly scrambling to counteract the substance, but when a strange power settled over them he lost the fight and as darkness settled over him the last thing he could feel was his pack's fear, and the taste of blood in the water.

 


	3. Song of the City

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Song of the City_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

As the darkness lifted from his senses Takeshi could feel that his body was restrained, tied to some kind of a bench or table.  
The water no longer tasted like blood and poison but the numb feeling over the bond had him worried, the rest of the pack must still be knocked out by the power and poison they were attacked with.  
“Ah, awake already. A most interesting subject to study.”  
Since the owner of the voice obviously knew he was awake Takeshi didn't bother trying to play possum, instead he opened his eyes and nailed his jailer with a glare.  
The merman looked like some sort of sea-turtle and the wrinkled appearance made him look very old, but his energy was strong and stable, so Takeshi guessed he was still in his prime, he would not underestimate him.  
“There is no point in struggling, those bindings are made with dragonhide and magic, nothing can break them.”  
The turtle tutted at him when he tested the restraints and as far as Takeshi could tell it would indeed be near impossible to break them.  
“Why have you attacked my pack and me?”  
Takeshi figured he might as well try to get some information while trying to figure out a way to escape, and also try to determine the condition of his pack.  
“Oh, it's nothing personal. I just can't have the Empress find out that there are visitors from beyond the maze here. And I might as well try to figure out just what you are while I'm at it, would be such a waste to kill you without knowing exactly what you are.”

When he didn't say anything more Takeshi chose to focus on the bonds with the others, to his relief it didn't take long before the twins came in loud and clear, they were obviously sedated but unharmed, Emelie was also sedated but he was unable to feel anything distinct from her.  
Knight and Jenna were both waking up and though too muddled for details their concern and fury came in loud and clear.  
Amanda was also quickly waking up, but disoriented and scared, what had him worried though was Dan, the bond was there, but if felt oddly numb which filled Takeshi with a cold dread.  
“What have you done to my pack?!”  
“Oh, nothing, yet. But don't worry. I'm not planning to kill any of you until I have you all figured out. Now keep still so I can examine that flower on your forehead.”  
When the wrinkled hand reached for his face Takeshi caught a faint taste in the water, the taste of blood, Dan's blood, and it set off all his instincts.  
_**“Simoro hurt! Protect! Avenge! Let me fight!”**_  
The beast was clawing at it's cage and Takeshi was more than happy to release it.

“How?”  
The one who had hurt his pack looked at him with wide eyes as he vanished from the table and appeared behind him, using his beasts ability to travel through shadows, at first he had intended to allow their captor to believe he was indeed trapped, to make him talk, but the taste of Dan's blood pushed him over the edge.  
Takeshi didn't allow the turtle the time to react any further though as he tore into its neck with his claws, tearing the head clean of the body, not even bothering to draw his blades.  
He could feel his pack to the left so he quickly headed through the doorway and found himself in a smaller room that was significantly colder and was dominated by a row of tables that looked very much like the ones you would find in a morgue.  
The morgue image was further enhanced by the fact that the two shark guards lay on tables, flayed open and their organs stored in sealed jars lined up on the side of the tables.  
A third table was occupied by the eagle ray guard, the ray however was still alive, barely.  
He was bleeding sluggishly from a large wound in the chest and pieces of his wings were missing, the bubbles of mucus and blood from the gills did not bode well, Takeshi doubted the guard would last more than a few minutes longer.  
Takeshi however wanted answers, answers he was hoping the guard might be able to help him with, so he forced himself to suppress the almost overwhelming need to find his pack in order to at least try to save the guard's life.  
“Hold still, I might be able to save you. Don't resist.”  
The Blessing wouldn't work as the guard was Other, not human, but Takeshi was hoping that his blood would hold enough power to heal him, so with a swift slash he cut his wrist and pressed it to the guards mouth.  
“Drink! It's your only hope for survival.”  
The reaction was sluggish at first, but after about a minute it grew strong and determined and Takeshi could see that the smaller wounds had stopped bleeding and were starting to regenerate.  
The bleeding from the chest-wound had increased a bit, but paired with the fact that the gills were no longer seeping it was a good sign, it indicated that the blood volume was recovering and the heart was gaining strength.  
“I need to find my pack, you stay here, rest and recover, but don't leave, I have questions for you.”  
The guard opened his eyes and gave Takeshi a weak nod before falling into a deep sleep.

Entering the next room Takeshi nearly lost control again, his pack were chained to similar tables as the guards, even the twins had heavy chains around their wrists, waist and neck.  
A mask covered Emelie's face and runes glowed on her chains, no doubt to keep her sedated.  
He quickly removed the mask before looking for a way to remove the chains, but it seemed they were locked with magic, not a key.  
Hoping that she would be able to wake up when the poison was no longer forced into her he moved on to the others, removing their simpler chains.  
When he reached Dan his worry came back in full force as he noticed a nasty bump on the back of his head, it was bleeding sluggishly and there was no response from Dan, not even when he pulled on the bond, something he should react to even if unconscious.  
_“Come on Dan! Don't you dare leave me!”_  
Takeshi was vaguely aware of Emelie using her shadow-abilities to break out of the chains and join the pack in trying to wake the twins, but his focus was entirely on Dan.  
_“Dan, amo, please respond.”_  
He could feel his pack gathering behind him as he desperately pulled at the bond with Dan, trying to get a reaction.  
He could taste how his own desperation and fear on the water slowly mixed with the taste of tears when Dan didn't respond to him.  
Pulling Dan's limp body into a tight embrace Takeshi began to pour his entire soul into the bond, pushing deeply into Dan's aura and pouring himself into the very core of his soul and his relief was near maddening when he finally felt a flicker of response from deep within Dan's soul.  
_“Take?”  
_The word carried faintly over the bond as Takeshi felt Dan's hand come up and touch his face.  
_“Yokatta...”_  
The word was barely a whisper, a sigh of relief, a breath of a prayer as Takeshi carefully turned Dan's head so he could kiss him without aggravating the wound on his head.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Song of the City_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“That stuff we were attacked with, can it cause any lasting damage?”  
Takeshi questioned the guard, his concern for the still sleeping twins making his tone far sharper than intended.  
“It's effective, but safe. The little ones will just need more time to wake, you were all given a massive dose, I'm surprised you are awake at all. The other guards and I have been exposed to it regularly to allow us to build a resistance to it and the dose was enough to put us under in an instant.”  
At the mention of the others guards Takeshi glanced toward the tables that were now covered by some kind of cloth, glad that his pack would not have to see them.  
“Do you have any idea why we were attacked?”  
“None. But it is a serious matter that needs to be brought before the Empress. The one you killed was Modtra, head healer, and one of the Empress advisers. His actions betray everything our Empress stands for.”  
After quickly evaluating his options Takeshi decided to tell the guard what the turtle, Modtra, had told him.  
“Modtra told me that he attacked us to keep the Empress from finding out that there were visitors from beyond the maze.”  
“So you really are from beyond the maze?”  
“We are.”  
“We thought the maze had been lost, no one has come that way in thousands of years.”  
“Not lost, but hard to reach, the entrance from our side is at the bottom of the deepest ocean. Humans can't reach it without large amounts of equipment, equipment that can't be brought into the maze.”  
“But what of the merfolk of your realm?”  
“I fear most have fled to other realms, or died as an effect of humans poisoning our realm. It's part of the reason why we are here, we seek the great libraries to try to find a way to prevent humans from destroying the balance of the realms without having to exterminate them.”

The guard silently watched them as they checked on each other and allowed them some time to soothe their fears before speaking up again.  
“We should hurry to the palace, I'm afraid we can't risk waiting for the little ones to wake.”  
“Are you okay to swim?”  
Takeshi looked at the still healing wings.  
“I will be slow and lack my usual agility, but I can make it. Are you able to carry them?”  
He nodded toward the still sleeping twins.  
“I will carry them so the others can fight if needed.”  
Knight spoke up and moved to pick them up when Takeshi gave a slight nod of agreement..  
“A few more questions before we go.”  
Takeshi held out his hand to the guard to help him turn over without straining his healing wounds.  
“Of course, what do you want to know.”  
“Are you able to use telepathy, and what should we call you?”  
_“I am, and you can call me Lorri.”  
_Takeshi noted that the guard's presence in his mind felt a bit odd, in lack of better descriptions Takeshi would say it tickled, and tasted like bourbon vanilla, he couldn't explain how a thought could have a taste though, it just did.  
“We need to go to the central spire.”  
Takeshi nodded and signaled for the pack to follow Lorri, matching their speed to the injured guard.

Everything was going smoothly until they reached the first of the three inner walls and a group of armed mermen quickly surrounded them which triggered Takeshi's protective nature, the recent events pushing it into overdrive.  
Takeshi could taste the slight sweetness of Emelie's venom mix with the bitter tang of Amanda's and Jenna's venom and Dan's power sparked against his senses as he took up position on the opposite side of their group, carefully keeping Knight and the still sleeping twins in the middle.  
He could feel the hum of Minerva's power and the wash of energy when Emelie pulled her scythe.  
**“** _ **gei hmcg be dfmR bTe a_d**_ _ **!**_ _ **”**_  
Takeshi had no idea what they had said and it pushed his control even further so he coiled tightly against the others and drew his blades with a hiss.  
**“** _ **gei**_ **!”**  
Lorri moved between Takeshi and the male that had spoken, trying to diffuse the tense situation.  
“They do not speak our language.”  
Lorri used Urui to address the armed male that had spoken.  
“Halt, surrender your weapons and come with us!”  
Despite being spoken in Urui, the demand and threatening posture only heightened Takeshi's response, making him flare his aura in warning and he could feel Jenna nock an arrow in preparation to draw.  
“Stand down! Give them some room. They have suffered an unprovoked attack, the children are still under the effect of the _Dream Conch_ venom and the alpha's simoro was injured. I was injured in the same attack, but the alpha saved me, the two guards at the Fire gate were not so lucky, they are both dead.”  
The group looked confused but were slowly pulling back a bit.  
_“They are palace guards, please try to calm yourself and your pack, get them to stand down.”_  
Takeshi tried, but his instincts were on high alert and it was harder than usual to get the beast within to calm down and allow him full control, and tasting his pack's fear on the water didn't help.

“Back away you stubborn fools!”  
Lorri snapped at the guards who were still carefully edging closer again but it was too late, one of the guards though he had seen an opening and advanced on Dan from a position behind and above, but as he did he moved into Dan's sensory range which made Dan react rather violently, sending out a bolt of lightning that nearly killed the guard.  
The reaction of the other guards was instant and when they moved Takeshi and the rest of the pack reacted as well, Jenna released 3 arrows in rapid succession which took out 3 guards and Takeshi felt the beast surface and take control, killing the guard that was headed for Knight before he had a chance to get control back.  
**“** _ **gei**_ **!** _ **b_Th**_ _ **!**_ **”**  
Lorri called out what Takeshi deducted was an order to stop, but the guards were not listening to him.  
Takeshi's control was still shaky at best when he charged the leader of the group and knocked him off balance before circling behind and placing the ryuken at his throat.  
“Order them to stop!”  
The head guard however refused to comply, it didn't matter much though, the guards all fell within moments as they made the mistake of trying to get to the sleeping twins for leverage.  
Takeshi cursed silently as half the guards were dead, it could very well spell quite a bit of trouble for them, not to mention completely undo their purpose of visiting in the first place.  
With a sharp blow Takeshi rendered the guard he was holding unconscious before focusing on his pack, trying to help them calm down and regain control.  
As he had done before with both Dan and Knight, Takeshi forced his pack to refocus their rampant energy to allow them to calm down without the negative side effects.  
“This is not good, we need to hurry. They will come after you with full force, intent on killing. We need to get you into the central spire and to the Empress, it's your only chance to avoid more death.”  
Looking at the condition of his pack and Lorri's still healing injuries Takeshi decided they could use a bit of help so he turned to the dragon within.  
_“Kiryu-sama are you able to manifest here without draining me?”  
__**“I am.”**_ _  
“Then please, would you help carry us to safety?”  
_She didn't bother replying, instead he could feel her detach from his soul as she pulled on the power of the realm to manifest.  
_“Dan, go ahead, change your form, there is no point in holding back anymore.”_  
Takeshi watched with pride as Dan's body changed into a larger form that was purely dragon and he couldn't help grinning when he noticed that Kiryu had taken the same basic shape, only larger.  
_**“Hurry, little ones. Hold on tightly.”  
**_The pack scrambled to her back and as they began moving Dan went underneath her and focused on making sure none came from below, allowing her to focus on what was in front of her as the others kept her back clear.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Song of the City_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

The commotion when Kiryu pushed past the guards and landed on the large balcony of the throne room was quite loud as guards scrambled to protect the Empress.  
Lorri quickly called out in the local language and a rather heated discussion ensued before a pulse of power made them all freeze as the Empress slammed the butt of her trident into the flooring.  
**“Enough! They will explain themselves to me and I alone shall decide their fate!”  
** As the room stilled Takeshi finally had the time to look at the female that occupied the large throne.  
Just like Lucifer she was significantly larger than the other merfolk, her tail far more elaborate and she wore a crown of coral, seashells and aquamarine.  
He noticed that unlike most of the other merfolk they had met the skin on the human looking parts of the Empress body was covered in tiny scales, including the face.  
“Thank you Empress.”  
Takeshi bowed slightly as he placed himself between the Empress and his pack.  
It did rile his instincts slightly when she dismissed him with a glance and focused on Amanda.  
“You, what is your name? And how did the Key to Atlantis come to be in your possession?”  
When Amanda hesitated Takeshi gave her a slight nod.  
“It's okay Manda, answer her questions.”  
“I am Amanda Kaiyou of House Shamarai, Beta of Pack Kiryu. This was given to me by my alpha, Emelie, by its own request.”  
The Empress instantly turned to Emelie who spoke up before she had time to ask.  
“It was given to me by Artemis of the Hunt so that we would be able to find our way here in search of knowledge. Knowledge that might help prevent the destabilization of the human realm without needing to terminate the human species.”  
“Only knowledge?”  
The pointed question made some of the guards snicker but Emelie was unfazed.  
“Not really, no. We would settle for knowledge, but we would prefer to add power, weapons and allies to that.”  
“You are honest with you intentions. Good, there might still be hope for you to live.”  
The rather obvious threat made Takeshi growl in displeasure.  
“Ah, protective are we?”  
Before Takeshi had a chance to answer Lorri swam up by his side and addressed the Empress in their own language and after a while she nodded and ordered the guards to move back further and to lower their weapons.

“Speak, alpha. Explain your actions. Tell me why you felt justified killing several of my guards.”  
Takeshi lowered himself to the floor so that he could take the twins from Knight and still be able to keep Dan close as his instincts were still acting up because of Dan's injury.  
Curling his tail around the twins he pulled Dan tightly against his side and once again he noticed a taste of disapproval in the water.  
“If you can not control yourself you will leave. Our ways are not their ways.”  
Takeshi almost smiled at Dan's surprise when the Empress scolded the guards, then explained the reason for the reaction.  
“Our numbers are dwindling, so non-reproductive pairings are frowned upon.”  
With his pack gathered around Takeshi began to explain what had happened since their arrival in the city.

When he was done speaking the Empress raised her trident and tapped it against the floor again.  
“I see. I will give you and your pack a full pardon if you and the other males of your pack consider adding your blood to our city.”  
After a quick talk with Dan and Knight Takeshi agreed that if they were approached by an acceptable female they would not refuse her.  
“But keep in mind, any child sired by my simoro will probably half human, if I sire children they will be whatever their mother is.”  
“We need new blood, any blood. There are too few of us so our bloodlines have become too closely entwined. Even pure human offspring would add much needed blood. If they are unable to live in the water they will be given homes in the spire, above the water.”  
“ Also we will not accept a female who approaches solely out of duty. To us that would be taking advantage and almost as bad as if she was forced.”  
The Empress nodded her acceptance of their terms and announced their pardon with a loud voice, Takeshi could sense surprise, and objections among some of those gathered though, and it had him concerned, unsure of just what it was about.  
But for now they would play the role of the trusting guests.  
“Now rest while I gather my advisers. Lorri can show you to suitable guest quarters.”  
“Would it be possible to gain access to a room above the surface?”  
Takeshi wanted to fully assess Dan's injury, and to do that he needed Dan to return to his human form.  
“Not right now, but there are rooms with shields that can be used to remove the water if that will help.”  
“That should work just fine.”

“Here are your rooms. The Empress has ordered a healer to come and have a look at the twins. If they don't wake up themselves within a few hours they might want to try giving them an anti-venom, but it's better if they wake on their own.”  
Lorri opened a large door that led to a set of rooms and waited for them to enter.  
“That would be much appreciated. But right now we would like some time to ourselves, to rest and assess out injuries.”  
Takeshi didn't mean to be rude, but he was tired, his nerves frayed and he could feel his packs exhaustion.  
“Of course, let me just show you how to operate the barrier.”  
After a quick demonstration of how to make the barrier remove the water in the rooms Lorri left the pack to lick their wounds.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Song of the City_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Keep still you overgrown baby!”  
Takeshi scolded a squirming Dan as he tried to get a better look at the wound on the back of his head.  
The magic, the poison, or maybe the combination of both, that they had been attacked with had somehow affected Dan's ability to heal, the wound sustained in the attack had not healed, but the wounds suffered in the fight with the guards had healed normally.  
He carefully probed the large bump which earned him some complaints, but what had him concerned was the redness and heat, signs of an infection.  
“I need to clean this, it's getting infected.”  
“I thought I was supposed to be pretty much immune to stuff like that now?”  
“You are. It seems that the poison, the magic, or the combination, temporarily disabled your healing, allowing some kind of infection to take root.”  
“Fine. I guess you need to cut it away, right?”  
“I'm afraid so. I could put you under command to make it easier on you if you want to.”  
“Please don't. I know you. It might make it easier for me, but harder on you.”  
With sharp claws Takeshi cut away the afflicted tissue and watched as the sluggish trickle of dark, thick blood was replaced by healthy flow of normal looking blood.  
“I hope for your sake I'm not gonna end up with a bald spot.”  
Dan's grousing made Takeshi smile as he licked the wound clean and allowed his power to seal it and accelerate the healing process.  
“Don't worry, you will have your usual nonexistent hairstyle back in no time.”  
“Are you calling me scruffy again?”  
Takeshi didn't bother answering, he just gave the rather wild locks a ruffle that made them stand in every direction.  
Dan pulled back and turned with arms crossed over his chest and nailed Takeshi with a mock glare.  
“Hmpf, not everyone can pull off a braid past their knees you know.”  
“Aw, don't be like that. Come here...”  
Takeshi beckoned with a finger and a wicked smile and he could see a familiar glint in Dan's eyes, it would seem he was feeling the same hunger, the same need.

Takeshi's breath hitched slightly when Dan straddled his lap and reached behind him to give his braid a slight tug, there was no force in the tug, but he tilted his head back anyway, exposing his throat to Dan.  
“Please Dan. I need...”  
Dan's eyes widened slightly at the whispered words, it was rare for Takeshi to outright ask for such things rather than tease and entice and before Takeshi had a chance to say exactly what he needed Dan had silenced him with a kiss.  
Takeshi enjoyed the familiar touch, he had missed it more than he realized, it was just not the same in borrowed form.  
He wasn't sure how long it had been when a flicker of energy at the edge of his awareness made him hold Dan back for a moment.  
_“Someone is watching. I don't mind, so it's up to you if you want to stop.”  
“No, I don't care. I need this too much to stop now.”  
_ Takeshi was relieved that Dan decided to ignore their audience, it would seem Dan's need was just as desperate as his own. _  
“So, how about we give them a good show?”_  
The teasing tone made Dan huff and dig his claws into Takeshi sides.  
_“You are incorrigible.”  
_ Dan's smile as he leaned in and nipped at Takeshi's throat triggered a flicker of something unfamiliar deep in Takeshi's soul and made him shudder and expose his throat even further.  
“Dan...”  
Takeshi hadn't intended it to be one of their games of dominance, of testing his limits, but he enjoyed it immensely as Dan was more aggressive than usual and knowing that Dan let himself go despite knowing someone was watching them added another layer to the experience.

“No, don't stop. Please.”  
Takeshi could feel that Dan was nearing his end and he didn't want him to stop.  
When Dan came close he would always stop and pull to the side, pulling Takeshi along and surrendering the dominant position, but Takeshi wanted more this time.  
“But I'm almost... I'm going to...”  
There was a taint of embarrassment in Dan's voice that made Takeshi shake his head at him with a smile, Dan had always been a bit hesitant to let go, to really allow Takeshi to see the result of his pleasure.  
“I don't care about making mess... I want to watch you come apart like this.”  
The way Dan's eyes widened and the bright blush was telling and Takeshi gently dragged his claws along his sides before digging them into his hips and pulling slightly which startled Dan back into motion.  
“You know, I love seeing you like this. Makes me want to dig my claws and fangs in and leave my mark on any bare skin I can find.”  
Takeshi was struggling to keep his voice somewhat even and he knew Dan would scold him later for keeping himself reined in instead of letting go and reaching the edge with him.  
“Then do it...”  
There was a slight pause as Dan opened his eyes and locked his gaze with Takeshi's, and when Dan began to move again Takeshi could feel Dan's nails shift and sharpen before digging into his chest.  
Dan's movements quickly picked up pace and became more forceful and before long he closed his eyes and leaned his head back, losing himself to the pleasure.  
Takeshi could feel that Dan was about to reach his peak so he allowed power to flow into his claws as he carefully sank them into the skin of Dan's back.  
“Deeper, please...”  
Takeshi didn't really reflect over Dan's begging words, it was a common enough occurrence of their sometimes rather vigorous sex-life, the words that followed however nearly cost him his focus.  
_“Mark my flesh, not my skin. Carve your power into my bones.”_  
The words were spoken in one of the demon languages, a shadow language that was a derivative of the shadeling language that Ylian spoke and Takeshi had no doubt that Dan knew exactly what he was asking for.  
With a steadying breath Takeshi allowed more power to flow into his claws and dug them in until he could feel the hard, sharp points scrape against bone.  
The pain made Dan arch into him with a groan but he didn't stop moving, if anything his movements became more intense, almost desperate, and then came the wash of power and emotion over the bond as Dan reached his peak and fell into the abyss.  
With Dan's senses temporarily overwhelmed by the release Takeshi raked his claws down is back until he reached the hips where he dug in deep, pouring as much power as he could into the wounds, allowing their bond to act as a spillway to keep Dan from being overwhelmed by the power.  
As he did he could feel Dan's power flow into his own body as well, pouring through the deep punctures in his chest where Dan's claws was digging in.

“Wow...”  
Dan was leaning heavily against Takeshi as his breath slowly settled into its normal rhythm, a sense of euphoria washing over the bond.  
“Indeed. It would seem Ylian taught you a few interesting things.”  
“Yeah, yi did. I wasn't sure you'd agree though.”  
“I told you, didn't I? About how seeing you come undone like that made me want to carve my mark into you and fill it with power?”  
Dan blushed slightly and nodded.  
“I meant every word of it and when you spoke the ritual invitation it made me very happy.”  
Takeshi gently traced his claws along the new marks on Dan's back which rewarded him with a soft sigh and a quivering moan.  
“Turn around and lie down.”  
Dan was radiating excitement and curiosity as he lay down and rolled on his stomach and made himself comfortable.  
Takeshi moved over so he was straddling Dan's thighs and began to trail kisses down his back, focusing on the new marks.  
“My power seems to really favor fire and flames.”  
He trailed the edges of the marks to allow Dan to feel their shape better.  
“Are they similar to the ones Hugin carries?”  
“They are, but less black and more fire.”  
Takeshi gave Dan a slight nudge telling him to be quiet and keep still before trailing his kisses back up Dan's marks and spine while slowly shifting his position to cover Dan's body with his own.  
Much to Takeshi's relief and joy there was no hint of fear or hesitation in Dan, instead he was all anticipation and invitation, eagerly arching into him, begging to be claimed.  
“Oh, so eager. And who am I to refuse?”  
With a swift and yet agonizing slow movement he claimed what was offered, this time intent on finding his own release as well.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Song of the City_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Shamarai-yemo, we have examined your little girls and they show no signs of suffering any ill effects from the dream conch venom.”  
When the healer arrived as promised the twins had begun to stir slightly, but they had examined them anyway and everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they were given a clean bill of health.  
Once the healer left Takeshi turned to Lorri who clearly had something on his mind.  
“The Empress has informed me that she wishes for you to be brought to the grand hall after the afternoon meal so that you may meet with the females who are willing to attempt to breed with the males of your pack.”  
Takeshi nodded softly.  
“Good, we wish to speak with them before deciding if they are acceptable, and even if they are found acceptable we would like a chance to get to know them a bit first.”  
“We understand, and the Empress has agreed to give you as much time as you need. The chosen ones will be relieved of any duties they may have so that they can join you in the library.”  
“Library?”  
“The Empress has agreed to you request for information, you have been granted full access to the city library, and the Guilds have been ordered to give you any assistance you may require.”  
“That will be most appreciated. Will the Empress be present so we can thank her?”  
“I'm afraid she has many things to tend to.”  
“Will you relay our gratitude then?”  
“I will, you have my word.”

After a meal consisting of a wide range of seafood and a nice selection of aquatic plants, some familiar, others completely unknown, they were brought to a large gathering hall at the lower levels of the central spire.  
“These are the unmated, fertile, females who have chosen to explore the possibility of breeding with the males of Pack Kiryu.”  
Lorri's words held an air of ceremony as a fairly large group of mermaids entered the hall, Takeshi counted just over 100 females who all appeared to be fairly young, and quite nervous.  
“Come, approach, I wish to speak with you before deciding if you are suitable.”  
They all moved closer and Takeshi carefully began to call on his power, he would have to rely on other methods than usual as he was currently unable to use _suggestion_ , and he didn't want to use _command_ against them.  
“One of my terms is that we will not accept any female who acts solely out of a sense of duty to breed. If that is your reason for being here, then please leave, we will find out eventually and you will be rejected, having wasted precious time.”  
As expected nearly half of them left and Takeshi suspected a few of those who remained were just hoping not to be noticed.  
With the selection thinned they started an interview process, they would pick a smaller number of females and make a schedule for getting to know them.

“ _See anything you like?”_  
Takeshi teased Dan silently.  
_“Yeah, I actually do, but this feels so strange, wrong.”  
“I understand, but do you think you can try at least?”  
“Yeah, I'll try.”_  
Dan silently promised he would try his best to honor the promise made, though, the promise did specify they would try, nothing more.  
_“So, care to share which one has caught your attention?”  
“See that small female over there, the one who looks like a ray?”  
“The one next to the shark?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Nice choice, she is quite beautiful.”  
“Mhm... She seems a bit shy though, but I kinda feel like she could be interesting.”_  
Dan's brilliant blush made Takeshi smile and give him a quick kiss, he didn't mention that he suspected that Dan was feeling the Calling though, nor that he had already noticed the young female as she seemed to be avoiding the guards.  
He didn't know why, but he got the feeling that for some reason she wasn't supposed to be there, but he had no intention of calling undue attention to her.

“It's very important to us that those who we bed do so willingly, because they wish to bed us, wish to have children, not out of obligation to breed for the bloodlines.”  
As he spoke Takeshi noticed that Dan's little ray looked a bit nervous, and for a moment it seemed like she was about to leave, then she clearly thought better of it and swam up to them.  
“Hello sweetie, decided on one of us?”  
Takeshi teased softly and the way she blushed further enhanced her allure.  
“Yes. I would very much like to see if the young beta, Dan, finds me acceptable.”  
“Dan, what do you think?”  
Takeshi's voice held a teasing air as he turned to Dan, knowing full well what the answer would be.”  
“I would like to get to know you better.”  
By the time they headed back to the rooms they had been give they had settled on10 of the females to begin with and made plans for spending time with them to get to know them better.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Song of the City_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“This library is amazing!”  
Takeshi agreed wholeheartedly with Amanda as she brought him another pile of books to study.  
The library was easily five times the size of the British national library filled with books, manuscripts and maps, both bound and scrolls.  
It had taken a bit of time to get used to the material used in the books and scrolls, it looked a lot like parchment but it wasn't, instead it was made of some kind of polymer similar to plastic, it was completely waterproof and the only way to write on it was with special crystals.  
This allowed the entire library to be underwater without risking damage to the books but it felt a bit strange to the touch.  
Takeshi set the book he was reading to the side and took the books Amanda carried and sorted them into the piles in front of him.

“Okay ladies, could try not to get my hair pinned like that please?”  
He winced slightly when his hair got caught on the seat as he reached for the furthest pile.”  
“Sorry...”  
One of the young females, barely more than girls, quickly moved his hair aside before continuing to braid it.  
She was one of the young females that had been presented to Takeshi, Dan and Knight in hope that they would find them acceptable for breeding.

It might seem a bit harsh to a human, but Atlantis had been isolated for a long time so they had begun to suffer the effects of inbreeding, compounded by the fact that once they mated, they were absolutely loyal to their mates, to the point of being physically unable to lay with anyone but their bonded.  
And they mated for life, a bond could not be undone without killing them, if one was killed the other soon followed, death by grief, the mate would usually follow within a few weeks unless there was a young child that still needed it's patent, that could delay the passing.  
The ones selected for the breeding program were almost all very young, too young to seek a mate but old enough to become pregnant.  
A side effect of that was that most of them were nervous, the fact that Takeshi and the others were outsiders didn't help, nor did the fact that his and Dan's forms were those of the _Naga_ , part serpent or dragon, not fish or other marine life forms like the Atlantean merfolk.  
The closest to their forms were those who were part Moray Eel, the main difference was in the scaling, and the fact that Takeshi and Dan didn't share the moray merfolk's rather hideous facial features.  
In an attempt to calm them, and to get to know them better, Takeshi had selected his two favorite prospects from the group that had chosen him and invited them to join them at the library, allowing them to get used to being close to him by letting them play with his hair and braid it into hundreds of tiny braids.  
And it was working, they were no longer flinching or startling whenever he touched them, instead they were staring to welcome his touch, and he could taste curiosity and arousal on the water when he gently dragged his claws over their scaled tails.

Takeshi knew that Knight was in one of the gardens entertaining those of the accepted females that had picked him, since he wasn't very good at reading there was no real point in dragging him to the library as well.  
Looking across the room to the table where Dan was studying a similar pile of books triggered a rush of fierce possessiveness that Takeshi forced himself to subdue, the instincts of the beast did not like seeing Dan with the young, silvery white ray with the golden marbling.  
She was a beautiful creature, and being an electric ray she was a remarkably good match for Dan, and Takeshi was hoping that they would be successful in breeding, and that the offspring would inherit some of it's sire's lightning nature to add to its own, but Takeshi's instincts did not like seeing his simoro with someone who was not pack.  
The reaction of his two females made it obvious that he hadn't been able to fully suppress his reaction, they had obviously tasted it in the water and their reaction to is was quite interesting.  
The taste of possessiveness in the water was answered by a spike of pleased desire as the pair had, at least on an instinctive level, interpreted the faint taste as him showing possessiveness of them and he wasn't about to correct them as it helped them all toward their goal.

“Dan, Manda, come here, I think I found something.”  
The text Takeshi was studying was an in-depth study of how to tap into the raw power of a realm, or a planet, what human scientists called the _Telluric Current_.  
Those who adhered to various Earth oriented pagan beliefs had many names for it; Earth energy, Blood of Gaia, Yggdrasil, Spirit energy, the Aether among others, but out of all the names, Blood of Gaia was the most fitting, the energy was The Mother, life in its most basic, and pure, form.  
Takeshi had come across it before during his studies at the GCTI, one of the teachers was an avid explorer of quantum theory and had spent quite some time debating her theories with her favorite student who she felt had the potential to truly understand them.  
She had been one of his favorite teachers, she was hired to teach them chemistry and physics as a part of their training, the purpose was to teach them the inner workings of chemical and nuclear warfare as well as various mission oriented adaptations.  
But she had taught them much more, especially Takeshi who had always been eager to learn.

The text and diagrams covered some things he already knew, things he had managed to accomplish with sanctuary crystals, but it also detailed much more advanced concepts.  
“Take, if this stuff works, we could build crystal generators able to supply the entire world with power without damaging the environment.”  
Amanda was right, the section she pointed at was very similar to the power-source they used for their home and vehicles but at a much larger scale, it would allow the raw energy to be transformed into electricity, but in a way that did not cause any damage to the environment.  
“We need to study this, see if they will allow us to copy it.”  
Amanda was early looking over the material and Takeshi nodded his agreement.  
“I think I saw diagrams similar to these in my pile. I'll go check.”  
Dan swam back to his own table, leaving Takeshi and Amanda to study the texts and before long they moved to one of the larger tables where they could spread it all out and gather the pack around it.  
“I really wish we had Angel here now, she would love to study this.”  
The rest of the pack hummed in agreement with their alpha.  
“Well, I need to take a break, Daniels' spirit is driving me insane here. I'll go see if the head librarian will see me.”  
“Can we come with you?”  
The twins liked the library, but their attention-span wasn't the best, there were simply too many things they wanted to explore within the city.  
“Of course, let's go.”

“Of course Shamarai-iero, the Empress has decreed that we are to assist you in any way we are able to. I will assign a few of the apprentice historians to the task, they are skilled scribes and will copy any items you desire.”  
“You have our gratitude.”  
Takeshi gave the head librarian a slight nod.  
“Thanks!”  
As always the twins didn't bother much with formalities, but their curiosity and excited sounds as they looked around the large office made the old librarian smile.  
“They are curious creatures your little ones. Perhaps they would like to come visit the planetarium some evening and watch the sea of stars?”  
“Oh, can we? Please?”  
“Is the rest of my pack welcome to come as well?”  
“Of course they are. So few of the citizens of Atlantis show any interest in anything that is not of the sea. None of the youths have shown any interest in studying the world above, the worlds beyond.”  
“In that case we will be happy to accept the invitation.”  
They thanked the head librarian again and headed back to the rest of the pack, stopping by Knight for a while before going back inside.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Song of the City_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“ _Take, do you have a moment?”_  
Dan's tone was hesitant, he had no desire to walk in on Takeshi with the selected females.  
_“Of course, what can I do for you amo?”  
_There was a long silence before Dan asked Takeshi to join him outside.  
_“I have been trying to fulfill our promise to the Empress, but... I don't know, It just feels wrong somehow.”_  
The tone turned embarrassed as Dan explained that he had found himself unable to _perform_.  
_“I spoke to Arc, she thinks it may be because of our courting. That it's somehow similar to how her people become unable to lay with anyone but their mate once bonded.”_  
Takeshi chuckled at the nickname for the female ray, her name was near impossible to pronounce and she had been rather upset with the nickname at first until they showed her a lightning arc.  
_“It's possible. It's also possible that I'm influencing you over the bond. As I told you my instincts rebel against you being with someone outside the pack. Someone who is not your soulmate.”  
“Could be. But, there is something we would like to try to see if it helps.”_  
Takeshi nodded for Dan to continue.  
_“Would you join us, see if your presence helps. If we're right it should.”_  
Dan was blushing vividly, but his mind's voice was sharp and determined so Takeshi agreed to his suggested plan.

When they reached Dan's room he opened the door and moved aside to allow Takeshi to enter first and his position was intentionally very submissive.  
Inside the room Arc was waiting and the water was rich with the taste of arousal and curiosity mixed with a hint of nervous anticipation as Takeshi slowly moved closer.  
The plan that Dan and Arc had thought up was to have Takeshi place temporary mark on Arc, giving her a small amount of the pack's energy signature, hoping that it would soothe his instincts.  
If it worked Takeshi would stay in the room, his presence would be a sign of approval which would hopefully in turn soothe Dan's instincts and allow him to actually be with Arc and impregnate her.  
“Alpha?”  
Dan was keeping himself low, intentionally drawing on the pack bonds and when Takeshi turned to him with a slight hiss he instantly rolled over, baring his neck and belly to his alpha in total submission.  
The taste of Arc's fear increased when Takeshi grabbed her and pulled her closer, forcing her to bare her neck to him, he tried to be gentle but his instincts were burning like fire, adding force to his actions as he sank his fangs into the exposed neck and pushed some of his power into her, claiming her for the pack.  
It wasn't a true pack mark though, it was temporary and would fade in a few weeks unless Takeshi added more power, it was more like a brand, marking her as a possession, or prey.  
Takeshi hated causing her pain, treating her like a possession, but he knew she had not only willingly agreed to it in order to increase her chances of carrying Dan's offspring, she was the one who had suggested it.  
“Beta, your loyalty has pleased your Alpha. Come, claim your reward.”  
The words were those of the Beast and they gave Takeshi a strange feeling, but he knew he had some degree of control at least, the Beast would not have addressed Dan as _Beta_ otherwise.  
Knight might be the official beta, but Dan would always be Takeshi's chosen beta.  
He knew it should be feeling wrong as he nearly tossed Arc into Dan's arms but his instincts was telling him is was right, that it was good, and it had him concerned.  
“Thank you, Alpha.”  
It was obvious that Dan was being affected by Takeshi's instincts as he was far rougher with Arc than Takeshi had thought possible, though she didn't seem to mind.  
Instincts tugged at him again, telling him to ensure that the captured female did not escape his beta so he curled his body around them and saturated the water with the taste of power and control.

“It worked, the seed has taken hold. I am carrying.”  
Takeshi didn't know how Arc could know so soon, it had only been a few hours since the successful coupling between her and Dan, but he trusted her instincts.  
“Congratulations are in order I guess. And my sincere apologies for causing you pain.”  
“I asked for this, it was worth it. And even I could tell that you were fighting your instincts to make it easier for me. You have my deepest gratitude for making this possible.”  
As Arc settled down to try sleep a bit longer Takeshi could feel Dan stirring.  
_“Good morning sleepy head, and congratulations. Arc tells me you will be a father soon.”  
“It worked?”_  
There was relief in Dan's tone.  
_“It would seem so. I don't know how, but she is sure she's carrying.”  
_Dan took a sharp breath before releasing it in a deep sigh of relief. _  
“Thank God. I can't do this again Take. Please... Find another way, or I'm out.”  
“Of course amo, no one will force you. The promise was to consider, to try. Don't push yourself to do something you don't feel comfortable with.”  
“I wish they had artificial insemination, would make things so much easier.”  
_Takeshi paused and considered Dan's words, he made a good point. _  
“You might be onto something. We should talk to one of their healers about it. If it is possible it could solve their problem.”  
_Takeshi leaned over and gave Dan a soft kiss.  
_“You have made your Alpha proud.”  
_

After the morning meal Takeshi requested to meet with the healers and the Keeper of the Blood to talk about the possibility of using artificial insemination to ensure genetic diversity.  
“I hear we have another successful impregnation. You have our gratitude.”  
Dan looked rather uncomfortable with the praise so Takeshi stepped in and spoke in his stead.  
“My simoro forced himself to go against his instincts to accomplish it, and I will not allow him to suffer that again.”  
“Understandable. Our gratitude is no less, even a single child is infinitely precious to us. It's blood will have the potential to stave of the decline for generations.”  
The Keeper of the Blood showed them the complex family trees of all the citizens of Atlantis.  
“We may have an idea that could make it possible for mated pairs to breed outside of their bonds.”  
“It can't be done. Our kind are unable to be with another.”  
“Dan, amo. This is your show, you explain it.”  
Takeshi turned to Dan and encouraged him to speak up.

“In our realm, we have something called artificial insemination, it's mostly used when breeding livestock to make it possible to breed a high value stud with many females across the realm without risk.”  
Dan gave them a quick explanation of how the method was used on farms.  
“But in the past it has been used by same sex pairs to have children. For a long time they were poorly accepted, and they were not allowed to adopt children so many would find a couple of the opposite sex to have a child. However, many of them were unable to to actually have intercourse so they used a primitive version of artificial insemination.”  
He continued to explain how the sperm would be collected and injected using simple syringes.  
“I was thinking, perhaps it would be possible to take two mated pairs and collect the seed of the males, trade it between the pairs and use the method to impregnate the females. It's easy enough for an untrained person to do.”  
He continued with more in depth explanations of how sperm could be stored by freezing to be used later, allowing them to store sperm so that if a male was killed his _Blood_ would not be lost, and if they combined stasis crystals with low temperature they should be able to store it indefinitely.  
The healers were asking lots of questions, eager to test the method, but the Keeper of the Blood was hesitant, and a bit confrontational.  
Takeshi suspected she had grown accustomed to being considered one of the most important persons in the city, and if Dan's suggestion worked it would be a step toward losing that importance.

“Take, could you make syringe from Sanctuary crystal?”  
“Probably, but we really should ask Em to make it, she is far more skilled than me at making complex items.”  
“Yeah, was planning to ask her if she can make one with the stasis effect, but right now I only need one to show what they look like and how they work.”  
Takeshi nodded and took a few grains of the crystal sand he always carried and pushed his power into it and shaped it to a simple syringe and plunger, Emelie would probably be able to make it as a single piece, perfectly sealed.  
“Here.”  
He handed Dan the syringe and leaned back as he showed it to the healers and explained how to work it.  
“Your idea has merit. It will be tested. If it works, you may well prove to be the savior of Atlantis.”  
Dan blushed vividly at the praise and Takeshi couldn't resist teasing him a bit about it, he had always known that Dan had a good head on his shoulders, the man just needed to find his confidence.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Song of the City_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Take, you are totally building an observatory when we get home.”  
“Agreed!”  
His pack were ganging up on him after their tour of the Atlantis planetarium, which also housed a beautiful observatory where Amanda was currently using the large telescope.  
“Hai hai...”  
It was actually already planned, he simply had not had the time to work with Ethan to make a suitable design.

“Are you ready for the Sea of Stars?”  
The head librarian was putting on quite a show and the anticipation of the pack was simmering through the bonds, and on the water he could taste curiosity and anticipation not just from the pack, but also from the females that had joined them as well as Lorri.  
“Then behold, the Sea of Stars!”  
With a flicker of power the lights in the room went out and after a while tiny spots of light began dancing around them and shortly they found themselves surrounded by the glowing kelp forest.  
The holographic illusion looked remarkably real as it slowly shifted, as if moving them toward the surface, then into the air above and out beyond the planet and into the cosmos.  
“It's beautiful...”  
Takeshi didn't expect Dan to be the first to voice his opinion on the display but he did agree wholeheartedly, the illusion was taking them through a completely alien galaxy, showing them unknown stars, nebulas, clouds of luminescent plasma and other things Takeshi had no name for and found himself lacking the words to even describe.  
They traveled to the center of the unknown galaxy and into a spiraling black hole where everything went black for a moment before light came back and showed them a different galaxy, bringing them through it and into the void beyond.

“Take, do hear that strange sound?”  
Jenna was looking around, trying to pinpoint the source of what she was hearing.  
“I do.”  
It had started as a soft humming sound but morphed into something that sounded a bit like high pitched whale-song and Takeshi was unable to tell where it came from, it seemed to be all around them.  
“What is it?”  
“I don't know, but it's getting louder. Maybe it's a part of the show.”  
“It's not.”  
Arc's voice was filled with awe at the sound.  
“I have never heard it myself, but my mother has told me about it. It's the voice of Atlantis, the city herself is singing.”  
“How is that possible?”  
Takeshi found himself intrigued and once his curiosity was aroused it was insatiable.  
“The city, she is alive. But you should ask the librarian, not me.”  
The head librarian was also an elder of the Historian's Guild and Takeshi turned his attention to him.

“The Sea of Stars is a recording made by a species from beyond the great void. They came to your realm before humans became the dominant species. Their great ship crashed in the ocean and they spent generations living by our side before being able to return to the stars.”  
“Another part of the legend proving to be true.”  
Takeshi hummed as he recalled some of the old legends about the Lost City.  
“But, if they crashed in our realm, how come the crater is here?”  
Maria's question had everyone looking expectantly at the head librarian.  
“Our two realms were once far more connected than they are now.”  
“I don't understand...”  
“I can try explaining after we are done here.”  
“Okay.”

 

.·:*¨¨*:·. The Tale of Atlantis .·:*¨¨*:·.

They listened as the librarian began to tell them the story of how Atlantis came to be their home.

It the first age of man visitors came in a great ship, they had fled their world and after being hunted across their galaxy and across the void they decided they would run no-more.  
Their great ship was a living creature, a space-born leviathan that had devoted its entire existence to them in an almost symbiotic relationship and she was weak from the hunt and needed rest, she had been running for generations.  
But their hunters would give them no rest, instead they hunted them with weapons designed to cause the ship pain without killing it.  
Nearly insane from pain and fear the ship fled toward the singularity at the center of the galaxy they were currently fleeing through and the crew believed it intended to kill itself to get away from the ones hunting it, but they all agreed to stay and die with their ship, unwilling to allow her to die alone.  
What none of them had expected was for the ship to survive and pass through the singularity into a brand new galaxy, but not without cost, they were expelled at great speed and thrown to the edge of the galaxy where the ship crashed into the third planet of a small yellow star.  
While her crew all survived the ship herself was grievously wounded and stuck at the bottom of the sea.

In this sea they met new creatures and formed an alliance, they agreed to share their knowledge in return for safe haven.  
For many years the visitors tried to heal their ship, but the damage was severe, she was in pain, and her mind had taken damage from the constant fear and agony.  
With heavy hearts they forced her into her reproductive cycle and she laid a single egg before they terminated her higher brain functions, leaving a living shell that was able to grow and change, able to nurture the offspring, but no longer held a sapient mind.  
They changed the form of the ship into a great spire, a monument to her own death and while the infant creature grew they taught their hosts how to care for what remained of her and the great city was born from the fallen ship and given her name, Atlantis.

 

.·:*¨¨*:·. The Tale of Atlantis .·:*¨¨*:·.

“You should speak with the Empress on this. I believe the city is singing because of you. This chamber is directly connected to the seat of her soul, what the visitors called her _Primary Neural-nexus_ and I believe she is sensing you, calling out for you.”

 


	4. The City Awakens

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The City Awakens_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi and the pack were gathered outside the doors to the throne room, waiting for the herald to call them before the Empress.  
Nearly two weeks had passed since their visit to the observatory, and the Sea of Stars, since the city began to sing to them and Takeshi was eager for some answers.  
He estimated they had waited for about an hour when the herald announced the entrance of House Shamarai.

When they entered the throne room Takeshi noted that the Empress was flanked by a number of creatures and he recognized the new Head Healer as well as the Keeper of the Blood, so he assumed the others were the members of the council, the Empress' personal advisers.  
When his gaze fell to the throne and the creature at the empress side, the Majordomo, his breath hitched for a moment as he was slammed with a familiar feeling, _Simiriwi_ , The Calling, Recognition.  
The feeling that told him that she was a true match for him, someone that would make a good mate.  
Her appearance might be considered downright hideous, but Takeshi was seeing beyond that, seeing only the power and function of her form, part vampire squid, part deep sea anglerfish, and the parts that looked human on most merfolk was gorgon in her case, but to him she was beautiful.  
_“Take?”_  
Emelie's tone held a slight concern.  
_“I'm okay. It's the Majordomo, she is a match for me.”  
“The calling?”  
“Indeed.”  
“She is a rather unique creature.”  
_There was an amused curiosity behind the diplomatic words, but no rejection or refusal, Emelie would take the time to get to know the new female before making her decision on whether she would allow him to approach her or not, and he would respect her decision, her right as his soulmate and co-alpha.

“Takeshi of House Shamarai, it has been brought to my attention that a member of your house is the reason Atlantis sings. The only way that is possible is if they are a true descendant of the Visitors.”  
There was a hushed murmur from the rest of the court as the Empress spoke, and Takeshi could taste Amanda's concern in the water and for a moment it distracted him from studying the Majordomo.  
_“Wait, is she saying I'm part alien?”  
“No, if you were the Blessing wouldn't have worked on you. My guess is that your soul comes from one of them, or their descendants.”_  
Amanda's relief was strong and once she was relaxed Takeshi turned his attention back to the female that his soul was telling him he should claim as mate.  
“So we have been told. It is my belief that our beta, Amanda, is the one to have caused the city to react.”  
It took quite a bit of effort to keep focus on the conversation with the Empress as the Majordomo was pulling at his attention, he found her reaction to be a bit puzzling, she looked shocked, almost afraid, as if the Calling was something unknown to her.  
As his desire to have a private meeting with the Majordomo increased he could feel a teasing amusement from his pack.  
“It is vital that we know for sure. You will be brought to the Chamber of Memories, you will all be tested.”  
Takeshi's instincts told him that it would be a bad idea to try to refuse so he nodded his agreement and moments later the Majordomo leaned in toward the Empress, obviously speaking for her ears alone.  
They watched as the Empress listened and after a while she nodded and turned to them.  
“My Majordomo will personally oversee the testing.”  
Takeshi couldn't help a slight surge of excitement and anticipation at the promise of an opportunity to get closer to the female that pulled at his soul.

The Majordomo swam over to them and nodded for them to follow her.  
“You may address me as Sheealia.”  
“Take.”  
Takeshi gave a knowing smile at the slight widening of Sheealia's eyes when he offered her his hand in greeting.  
“Wow, you look really scary!”  
“So cool!”  
Sarah and Maria swam around Sheealia to get a closer look at her features while the rest of the pack exchanged greetings and Takeshi was smiling widely at Sheealia's surprise as the twins showed no fear, even asking to touch the hissing serpents that adorned her head.  
The girls trusted that someone who was an ideal match for him would not be someone who would harm then.

Once they had left the throne room behind them Sheealia turned to Takeshi with a hushed voice.  
“I find myself surprised, and at a loss as to what to believe. I had long since resigned myself to never even consider a mating, and now I find myself Called by instinct.”  
“Care to share why you would give up on finding a mate?”  
Emelie swam in between Takeshi and Sheealia before he had a chance to answer, demanding her right as his soul-mate.  
“I am the last of my kind. There was a male when I was young, and we were planning to mate once I came of age, but he was killed in an accident before that. I swore at his grave that I would not take a mate that was not a true mate and before today, I have never felt even a flicker of the Calling, and as Majordomo I have met every single soul in Atlantis.”  
Takeshi pulled back slightly as Emelie demanded further details from Sheealia, testing if the female was worthy to be a potential co-mate.

Sheealia slowly led them to the base of the central spire, then down into the catacombs below it where the gentle glow of bioluminescence guided their way.  
_“Daddy, there's something down here that needs healing.”_  
Maria's tone was hushed and sharp, narrowly focused over the bond to make sure no one would be able to sense it or overhear and Sarah echoed her in agreement.  
_“It's probably the city, remember what the librarian told us?”  
“That she was injured and they cut her mind away to stop her pain when they couldn't heal her.”  
“That's right. You probably feel the city's desire to be healed, to be whole.”_  
Takeshi wasn't the least bit surprised that the girls were feeling a need to heal the the alien creature that had been reshaped into the beautiful city.  
Deep inside he knew that Amanda would be able to connect with the city, he knew the girls would heal it, he had long since stopped questioning such things, knowing that the Fate's had a hand in guiding him and his pack.  
And he was happy that he had acted on what was no doubt the Norns pulling his strings, seeing Dan doting on Arc, the girls eagerly engaging Sheealia and feeling Amanda's nervous anticipation gave him a sense of pride and accomplishment.

“This way.”  
Sheealia gestured toward a door with a pair of armed guards outside who quickly opened the door and moved aside.  
Takeshi took the lead and brushed past Sheealia, close enough to fill her gills with the taste of his pheromones, it was an action that was considered rather inappropriate but he wanted to see how she would react to the taste of him.  
He was not disappointed when her eyes widened slightly and her breath slowed, carefully pulling in the pheromone saturated water and tasting it thoroughly before pushing it through her gills with a bubbly huff that made it abundantly clear that she knew exactly what Takeshi was up to.  
The way she brushed against him in return as she re-took the lead position to guide them down a winding hallway made it equally clear that she did not mind in the least and he paused for a moment to fully appreciate her flavor before pushing the rich water through his gills in a teasing huff.  
Her taste was mostly pleasant and somewhat intriguing, but it held a taint of doubt that rubbed Takeshi the wrong way, he recognized the feeling brought on by that doubt, he had come across it during their first stay in the Obsidian Halls.

He had been approached by a mated pair who wished to acquire his services as guide for their daughter, not an uncommon occurrence after he had proven his worth, the father was an Obsidian angel and the mother was from one of the white-winged tribes and the daughter was beautiful but shy, and she had given off the same kind of doubt he now sensed from Sheealia.  
As the parents spoke Takeshi found himself struggling with his fury, they had approached him in hope that his human origins would allow him to look past their daughters _unfortunate_ _appearance_ and it took him a while to figure out what they were referring to as he found her to be quite beautiful.  
The young female had been a perfect mix of her parents, her feathers displaying various shades of gray that brought a stormy sky to mind.  
But it soon became obvious that her coloring was considered homely and abnormal, apparently children of mixed heritage either favored the strongest parent and had pure black or pure white wings, or in rare cases a mix of pure white and pure black feathers, not shades of gray like the young female had.  
The doubt he felt from her, and now from Sheealia, was the doubt of someone who all their life had been told that they were not attractive and it stirred his temper, he would ensure to put his best effort into wiping such notions and doubts from her mind, as he had done with the lovely little storm-winged angel.

By human standards Sheealia was hideous, the stuff of nightmares, but she was not human so he would not judge her by human standards, her form was well balanced between speed, agility and raw power and he knew enough of gorgons to know that she would be considered good looking.  
He had noticed that the merfolk could be rather nasty toward some of their subspecies, especially those with a more beastly appearance, like the moray and various deep-sea variants such as anglers and dragonfish, especially those that had less human looking facial features.  
Sheealia's gorgon heritage gave her the distinct serpent hair and she had the fangs and lure of a deep-sea angler which made her look rather monstrous but Takeshi couldn't say she was ugly, there was a distinct balance in her appearance that appealed to him.  
He promised himself that he would try his best to wipe any notion of inadequacy from her mind before turning his focus back on their current situation, he wasn't too fond of being ordered around, but now was not the right time to pit his will against that of the Empress.  
Sheealia opened the door at the end of the winding hallway and Takeshi quickly took point, his instincts as alpha demanding that he show his dominance.  
Usually they didn't bother him much, but feeling the Calling combined with the need to unwillingly submit to the Empress was setting him on edge.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The City Awakens_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

The inside of the new room looked decidedly organic with thick flesh like vines crawling along the walls, slowly pulsing with light.  
In the center of the room was a thick mass of the same vines, but it was severed in half, dark and appeared somewhat wilted.  
He listened with half an ear as Sheealia explained that this room was a place to access the pathways between the brain and body of the leviathan that had become the city and combined with the information the librarian had given them Takeshi quickly sorted the puzzle.  
The pulsing light was obviously the nerve impulses of the creatures version of an autonomic nervous system, left intact it kept the creature in something similar to a vegetative state where the function of the body could be maintained.  
There was a strange looking machine attached to the severed section that occasionally pulsed light into the dark mass and Takeshi guessed it was somehow replicating some of the higher brain functions and stimulated the tissue to keep it from degenerating to the point where it would affect the basic functions.  
The machine also seemed to prevent the severed tissue from healing.

“Few are able to connect to Atlantis, but those that are, are very important to us, they are needed to keep her healthy, to keep her from degrading.”  
Takeshi listened as Sheealia explained that all children born in Atlantis were brought to this room to test them, to see if they were able to connect.  
He had no doubt in his mind that Amanda would be able to, and he had a feeling that the twins would be able to to some extent as well, Knight probably would not be able to and for the rest of them it would be the flip of a coin, with himself probably having a somewhat better chance.  
“Shamarai yemo, I assume you wish to go first ?”  
“Indeed I do. But there is no need for titles, you may address me as Take.”  
She nodded slightly and Takeshi found himself with an irresistible urge to tease her a bit so he added that she could call him _amo_ if she preferred to which she blushed vividly and her serpent hair hissed at him.  
Slowly approaching the severed bundles of nerves he used a flare of power to purify his hands before gently placing his palms against the exposed tissue, bridging the gap with his own body.  
At first there was no reaction, then after a while he could feel a gentle trickle of energy, it was welcoming, and curious, but also slightly hesitant and careful, it would seem Atlantis did not want anyone to know that he was able to communicate with her, and he didn't mind.  
The mind that brushed against his own felt strong and healthy, making him believe that the creature had been able to recover and heal over the ages.

After a few minutes Sheealia nodded for him to step back and allow the next person to try so he carefully broke of the contact before nodding for Emelie to step up, insisting that they follow the ranks of the pack which Sheealia accepted with a huff.  
_“She's alive...”_  
Emelie's tone carried a distinct amazement, she had not expected to get any reaction from the ancient leviathan.  
_“Indeed, but she does not seem to want them to know that.”  
“Don't worry, I won't give her away.”_  
While Emelie explored the sensation of the alien mind Takeshi took the time to silently tell the others about what they had found and what they might expect.  
As expected Knight could feel no reaction from the city and he quickly stepped aside to allow Amanda to try, and the reaction to her was instant.  
The moment she touched the exposed tissue it came alive with a bright pulsing light that made Sheealia stare at her in awe.  
“Such a strong reaction. You're a descendant of the Visitors, you have to be...”  
_“Again with the part alien stuff...”  
“She believes that's the only way it could be, but remember, the Blessing would not have worked if you were.”  
“Are we going to tell her the truth?”  
“Not unless I feel she can be trusted.”  
_For now they would allow Sheealia her belief that Amanda was a blood descendant of the aliens that the people of Atlantis simply called the Visitors.

They watched while Sheealia had Amanda do various tasks to test how the city responded to her and Amanda told Takeshi that Atlantis felt like she was eager to please and Sheealia was deeply shocked when Amanda was able to make Atlantis repair a broken bridge and quickly ended the tests and asked Dan to try.  
Dan's empathic abilities allowed him to feel the city, but she didn't respond to him and Jenna had no reaction at all which was not a surprise to them.  
The twins had a somewhat different reaction, the city responded to them by singing and they both felt as if the song was asking them to heal her, to restore the severed tissue, but they made sure not to let Sheealia know, instead they silently begged Takeshi to help them get a chance to heal the city.

“This needs to be brought before the Empress immediately, especially Lady Amanda's remarkable ability.”  
Sheealia began ushering them toward the exit and seemed set on dragging them back before the Empress right away.  
“Can I at least get some time to rest? It was quite draining.”  
Takeshi could tell that Amanda wasn't being entirely truthful and that there was something she wanted to settle down and talk about.  
“Very well, someone will be sent to pick you up after the evening meal.”  
“How about you come join us for the evening meal, get a chance to talk, to get to know each other a bit? Then you can bring us before the Empress yourself.”  
Takeshi instantly took the opportunity to invite her and to his relief she accepted after telling them that she had a lot to do and that it would be much appreciated to not have to prepare a meal for herself.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The City Awakens_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Once back in their rooms Takeshi asked Emelie to grow one of the crystal clusters that they used to create barriers, in this case a barrier to ensure privacy while they spoke about what had happened during their testing.  
“You know, I'm kinda jealous. I couldn't feel anything at all.”  
Jenna's muttered complaint made them all smile and Knight tried to soothe her by telling her that he hadn't sensed anything either and the twins assured her that Atlantis was just being a bit shy.  
“And I wish I hadn't been able to feel her so keenly. She is scared, and angry. And I don't blame her, she let me see some of her memories and it was horrible.”  
Amanda curled into Takeshi's side, seeking support and comfort which he readily gave her while waiting for her to continue.  
“I'm sorry, but I don't want to talk about in front of the girls. Can I show you in the dreamscape instead?”  
The girls did complain a bit but when Takeshi promised that they could see anything that was suitable later they quickly settled down with their lessons.  
“I will keep an eye on them, meditation was never my strong suit.”  
Knight's offer had the others snickering and teasing for a bit before moving into the smaller room that they used for sleeping.

With the twins occupied in the other room under Knight's watchful eye Takeshi settled down with his pack curled against him and with a calming breath he began to pull and push on the pack bonds, gently putting them to sleep and drawing them into the dreamscape.

.·:*¨¨*:·.-Dreamscape-·:*¨¨*:·.

At first there was only darkness around them but Takeshi could feel that they were indeed in the dreamscape, then suddenly there was light, dizzy, disturbing and strange lights.  
“She can't remember much from before the crash, the shock of the impact and the severe injuries has caused a form of retrograde amnesia, but she is convinced that the memories are still there, just not accessible without further healing. Healing that she is hoping that the twins will be able to provide.”  
Amanda's voice was low but steady as she explained what they were seeing.

The darkness was the passage through the singularity and the distorted lights that followed was caused by the extreme exit speed out of the massive black hole at the center of the galaxy.  
They could feel the creature's pain and fear as it desperately tried to regain control and less than a minute later the light jarred to a halt, then a flash of heat and jarring pain.  
Somehow the creature was able to completely negate inertia, allowing it to slow down from its extreme speeds, though Takeshi was unable to grasp how such a speed was even possible to attain in the first place.  
Atlantis had traversed the distance between the center of the Milky Way and Earth in a matter of seconds, a distance of roughly 25.000 light-years, placing its velocity somewhere between the insane and ludicrous parts of a scale he had previously only vaguely classified as _Impossible_.  
As she crashed into the Earth ocean everything was completely overwhelmed by pain for a while, then slowly her senses cleared and the pain was subdued by an intense joy and relief that she had been able to protect her crew, most had minor injuries, but no one had been killed and there were no severe injuries.

“The great leviathans form an almost symbiotic relationship with their crews, they provide them with everything they need, every comfort, in return the crew provides companionship, guidance and purpose, and helps the otherwise gentle creatures defend themselves from attackers.”  
Amanda's voice wavered slightly as she struggled to keep Atlantis memories and pain separate from herself.  
The obvious strain caused the pack to gather around her in support.

As the memories continued to play around them the joy soon gave way to a jumble of images and a deep, soul rending, pain no doubt caused by the injuries she had sustained in the crash, there were soothing voices trying to calm her but nothing made the pain stop.  
Then there was a strong voice, authoritative, demanding that was soon followed by an awareness of new life growing, many little lives that were familiar, she had birthed those before, but also a bigger life, something new, something like herself.  
For a brief moment she was aware of her offspring, then there was total nothingness.

“They severed her higher brain functions before she had a chance to bond with her child to ensure her pain would not affect it and for a long time she was not aware of anything. Then slowly, as her healing body tried to compensate for the severed connections she began to gain a small degree of awareness of her new _crew_ , of the creatures living within her new form.”  
While Amanda spoke seemingly random images flickered by before settling on an impressive female.  
“The previous Empress, she was a formidable female who ruled with wisdom and heart, but an iron fist when needed. She was murdered in order to place her weaker daughter on the throne, a new ruler that lacked the strength needed to stand on her own, who was dependent on the council, and could be manipulated. A puppet for the elders.”  
The images shifted and followed the young Empress, showing how she again and again was manipulated by members of the council into passing laws that slowly gave the members of the council and their benefactors more and more power, splitting the previously equal society into three distinct castes.

Lorri had told them about the three castes, the Imperial, Artisan and Worker castes.  
The Imperial caste held almost all power and wealth and consisted of the Empress, the council and a select few wealthy families who had bribed and backed the council, it was also home to the top levels of military and guards.  
Only the Imperial caste were allowed to enter the central spire unless by specific order by the Empress and they were the only ones allowed to make their home inside the innermost walls.

The Artisan caste didn't have any real power, but they lived comfortable lives and could accumulate quite a bit of wealth, though nowhere near as much as the Imperial caste.  
It consisted of skilled artisans and scholars, as well at the remaining military and guards that were not part of the Imperial caste.  
They were allowed to travel within the inner walls and could make their homes in the second and third tiers, but they were not allowed within the spire unless by Imperial order.  
The wealthy families, mid ranked military and guards as well as the masters of the artisan guilds lived within the second tier while lesser artisans and the low ranked military and guards lived within the third tier.

The Worker caste was little more than serfs, they had no power, and no wealth, more often than not they barely scraped by and they were not allowed beyond the inner walls unless by Imperial order.  
They were farmers and hunters as well as various unskilled workers, and professions with low status.

There were also the casteless, beggars, vagabonds, outlaws and any that were unable to work for the city.  
They were not allowed within the walls but the Worker caste did what they could to see to that they survived.

The images shifted once again, this time showing their approach and there was a strong sense of joy as Atlantis realized they were newcomers, outsiders.  
But that joy was quickly replaced by fear, anger and shame as she was unable to warn them of Modtra's intentions, prevent the attack or do anything to help them.  
And they could feel that she deeply mourned the death of the two shark guards.

The images showed their trip to the observatory and the joy returned as the closeness allowed Atlantis to truly feel them and when they were taken to the nexus and touched her there was hope and longing.

.·:*¨¨*:·.-End Dreamscape-·:*¨¨*:·.

 

“I need to bond deeper with her, and she needs to be healed before I can get any more specific information from her. Take, I know this is supposed to be your destiny and all, but I think we were sent here to restore her, and bring her to the human realm. I don't know how, but I just know that the merfolk belong in our realm, that they are a part of the balance that needs to be restored.”  
Amanda's tone was slightly hesitant, almost apologetic, concerned that she was somehow stepping into Takeshi's territory.  
“I think you're right. The Mother once told me that the Fates made sure we would meet. Throughout all of existence, the infinite refractions of reality, your life only had two base paths. Either death at the hands of whoever Roberts sold you to, or being rescued by me and Em and finding your way to Atlantis.”  
Takeshi carefully reassured her, soothing her concerns and encouraged her to speak up, to voice her thoughts.  
“I also think that Sheealia is a part of what we are here to accomplish. The Empress is in essence an insecure child who is eager to please and as majordomo Sheealia has her ear, and her trust.”  
Takeshi didn't like the idea of manipulating the Empress, but for the future of the realms he might be forced to.  
“How much could that really help though? As long as the current Empress rules the council will always be able to sway her, and they might even be able to turn her against Sheealia, make her select another majordomo.”  
The others quickly agreed with Amanda's concerns and Takeshi agreed, he had the same concerns himself.

“I honestly don't think there is much we can do for her. She has probably become too accustomed to doing what the council wants. From what we were able to see in the memories that Atlantis shared they have manipulated her since early childhood.”  
Takeshi hated the thought of what might be needed to ensure that Atlantis and her citizens survived and ultimately bring the merfolk back to the human realm.  
“From what we have seen so far I'm afraid Atlantis is doomed unless there is a change in leadership, the Empress simply lacks the strength of mind to enforce what needs to be done, and the council lacks the will.”  
“Are you suggesting we stage a coup?”  
The look Dan gave him made the others laugh while Takeshi shook his head with a smile.  
“Nothing quite as drastic if I can help it. My line of thought runs more toward seeing to that an heir is born with the strength needed.”  
“Lemme guess, a child of yours? A child that you have made sure inherits certain aspects of your personality?”  
“Indeed. Ylian taught me a lot about controlling what becomes of my progeny.”  
“But, would she agree?”  
Jenna's question was at the heart of his concerns about the plan.  
“I believe she would if she thinks it's in the best interest of her people. So far she seems to have been excluded from the breeding program despite being the one individual that is genetically the furthest from the others. I believe the Keeper of the Blood intentionally keeps her out of it to avoid the risk of _diluting the blood.”  
_It was obvious that the imperial line carried some rather unique genes, the sheer size of the Empress was proof enough of that, but Takeshi had also found references in the library that indicated that the imperial line had interbred closely with the Visitors.  
“But before we commit to any plans we need to confirm that the situation is indeed as bad as Atlantis believes it to be.”

With the pack in agreement they began drawing up plans for how to access the situation, starting with Sheealia at dinner and trying to get closer to the Empress when they met with her to speak about Amanda's ability to connect with Atlantis.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The City Awakens_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“This food is quite interesting once you get past having to keep it above the water. What did you call it again?”  
Sheealia picked another piece of makizushi with a smile that showed way too much fangs for most species to be comfortable.  
“It's called Sushi, it's one of the most famous foods of my homeland. This is Makizushi, or just Maki. The pieces there with the fillings on top are called Nigirizushi.”  
Takeshi had used the field to remove about one third of the water in the room to allow the food to be prepared and served above the surface while still having enough water for them all to be comfortable while in aquatic form.  
It had been quite a feat to cook the rice though, and he was glad he had taken the time to prepare waterproof containers with everything needed to prepare his demon realm version of sushi rice.  
It was easy enough to create a transportation rune to bring them from the warehouse in the Obsidian Halls.  
“Sushi, huh? It's not like anything I have ever eaten before, but I really hope I will have a chance to try it again.”  
“I could teach you how to make it if you are willing to suffer the discomfort of having to work out of the water.”  
“I think I would enjoy that.”  
There was a distinct rise in pheromones in the water that made it quite obvious that Sheealia was responding well to Takeshi's not so discreet flirting, and giving as good as she got, just in the way of her people.

“So, Sheea, care to elaborate on how the mating practices of your kin differs from those of the others here?”  
Takeshi had been keeping the conversation focused on Sheealia under the guise of curiosity about her species of merfolk, but it had a somewhat more sinister purpose as well.  
If she was accustomed to him asking personal questions she would hopefully not think to much about questions about her work and relationship with the Empress.  
“Oh, curious are we?”  
“Of course, how else am I to properly woo you?”  
Takeshi found that he enjoyed her laugh, when she spoke her voice was rather coarse but her laughter was bright and clear and it made her sound younger.  
“You are really intending to go through with this, aren't you?”  
There was disbelief and curiosity in her voice.  
“I do. Unless you have a very good reason why we shouldn't, I see no reason not to see where the simiriwi takes us.”  
Sheealia paused at his words and when she spoke up her voice was lower than usual and the water tasted a bit of embarrassment.  
“Well, I wouldn't want to mate someone I can't have offspring with, and there might be a few compatibility issues as my kind reproduces a lot like the squid whose form we partially share.”  
“Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about. I am a shapeshifter after all. One of the perks being the ability to borrow the form of my bonded to ensure compatibility.”  
The change Takeshi had gone through after binding Hugin's soul to himself assured he would be able to impregnate Sheealia should they become mates.  
“Figures...”  
Sheealia's response was accompanied by a huffing sigh before she began to tell them about her species.

“So even if mated your kind don't stay together much? And, did you say your kind lays eggs?”  
Emelie interrupted Sheealia as she was telling them about how her people mated.  
“That's right.”  
Sheealia had explained that like the other merfolk her kind was intensely loyal to their mates, forming monogamous pairs that remained mated for life.  
But they rarely lived together, instead they would rendezvous during the female's ovulation and once she had laid her eggs the males would leave again.  
The male did stay nearby though, securing a territory where the offspring could grow up in safety until they were old enough to protect themselves.  
“So, if you were to mate our dear Take here, you would be okay with staying in Atlantis alone when we return to the human realm?”  
Emelie's curiosity was quite obvious, the revelation did seem to solve one of the concerns she had with the idea of Takeshi mating Sheealia.  
“I would, for the most part at least. For the first few decades I would have my hands full raising our offspring, who would no doubt be a handful with **that** for a father. I would miss him once I'm ready to go into season though, but that can be suppressed.”  
The teasing quip about what kind of trouble a child fathered by Takeshi would be had the pack laughing and teasing in a matter of moments.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The City Awakens_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“It's time to meet with the Empress.”  
Sheealia gave the twins a gentle nudge to get them to stop playing with the serpents of her hair and was rewarded with pouts and puppy eyes.  
“We can play more once we are done talking to the Empress and the Council, okay?”  
“Yay!”  
The serpents had been the focus of a lot of curiosity from the twins and they had been delighted when Sheealia agreed to let them play with them.  
While they were a part of her body, and under her total control when she wanted to, they did also have minds of their own, capable of independent thought and action, though mostly it allowed them to keep from getting tangled, and allowed them to have defensive reflexes.  
Takeshi found that watching Sheealia interact with the twins, seeing her relax as they explored her hair, calmed his instincts and brought about a deep feeling of contentment that was very similar to the feeling that he had learned to identify as _pack._

The glares from the council elders set Takeshi on edge, it was quite obvious that they did not like the fact that an outsider had been able to not just connect with the city, but control it.  
Even the twins were picking up on the hostility making them flare their fins and hiss at the gathered council while Gere and Freke were at their side, fangs bared and power flaring.  
When one of the elders flared his fins and hissed back at the twins things went a bit insane, with the pack already on edge the threatening display triggered a rather intense reaction.  
The elder that had showed the aggressive display found himself face to face with a royally pissed of alpha in all his glory, wisps of dark power at the tips of his fins and claws as the shadow within rose and shared power and control in defense of their pack.  
Above them Dan's power crackled and Takeshi could feel the change in the bond with Dan as he abandoned the naga form in favor of his dragon form, assuming the beta position and covering their backs as Knight's ability to fight was limited underwater.  
“I know you guys don't have packs, so I'll give a few pieces of advice. It's not wise to threaten a pack member in front of their Alpha. And it's an especially bad idea to threaten the young that are unable to defend themselves, it will pit you against the entire pack.”  
Jenna's tone was rather amused as she explained a few things about packs, and alphas.  
“Right now I suggest you avert your gaze and bare your throat and belly. That should allow our sweet little co-alpha to calm our not so sweet alpha down enough for him not to gut you at the slightest twitch.”  
Jenna's suggestion was met with more glares, but when Sheealia barked out an order in the local language they slowly obeyed and Emelie carefully approached Takeshi to calm him down while Knight took care of Dan.  
Knight was taking full advantage of the fact that Dan's beta nature had an instinctive need to submit to his own alpha nature, it did take quite a bit longer than normal though to get him to submit.

Once things had settled down Sheealia presented her reason for bringing them before the Empress and the Council.  
Takeshi could tell that she was somewhat surprised by the rather hostile reaction of the Council, he however was not.  
Out of the 12 seats of the Council only 3 were openly welcoming, the new head healer, the Keeper of the Records, who happened to be the head librarian and an old female he didn't recognize, but her simple armor like clothing told him she was of the Worker caste.  
He noted that only 2 of the Council were of the Worker caste, there were 4 Artisans caste and the remaining 6 were Imperial caste.  
The other Worker caste representative and the Artisan caste representatives were somewhat hesitant, unwilling to show their feelings about Takeshi and the pack but the Imperial caste representatives were openly hostile.  
“The female beta has shown the strongest link to the city I have ever seen. She was able to trigger repairs of the bridges above the Air gate market.”

The city was underwater, but it was designed with numerous walkways and bridges connecting the towering spires of the city, it convinced Takeshi that Atlantis in her city shape had once been intended to be above the surface.  
And he had noticed that the room with the severed neural-nexus was quite far down from where they entered, by his estimate at least 15 floors below ground level, but the city probably reached much deeper than that.  
If it was designed to float it probably needed that to balance the high central tower, though it was possible that was an adaptation to its solid position on the bottom of the ocean.

“Both alphas and the children caused a reaction, though nowhere near as strong. I believe they should all be trained and tested further.”  
Sheealia continued to point out that if Takeshi carried the _blood_ needed to interact with the city his offspring would be even more valuable to them.  
“If it pleases our Empress I will personally oversee things.”  
Sheealia's suggestion caused a bit of a stir among the Council, but the sharp tap of the Empress's trident against the floor calmed them, but much to Takeshi's annoyance they continued in the local language.  
Emelie and Knight were getting a fair understanding of it thanks to their demonic abilities, but it still riled Takeshi that he had to wait for a translation which quickly caused the water around him to taste of agitation.  
“I do believe the polite thing to do when asking someone a favor is to at least speak a language they understand.”  
Jenna's voice carried a distinct tone of contempt for the Council and it caused another bout of bickering before Sheealia raised her voice with serpents hissing, telling them to either speak Urui or shut up.  
“It's too dangerous! That monster killed my sister's mate, before long she will be dead too. That's two members of the council dead by his actions.”  
One of the older females from the imperial caste spoke with venom in her voice.  
“Your sister's mate died by his own foolishness. He attacked Pack Kiryu, severely injuring their alpha's simoro and capturing them. And when the alpha woke up Modtra continued to threaten his pack.”  
Sheealia bit back in a rather sharp tone, it seemed she had a certain level of distaste for the female that spoke, maybe for the Council in general.  
“And the guards? Several injured and dead. Are we just going to let them get away with that?”  
The one that spoke was the same shark type as the twin guards that had been killed, maybe a relative.  
“Your nephews were killed by Modtra, not the pack. As for the palace guards that unfortunately died they escalated the situation against the Watch-commander's direct orders and tried to attack. They tried to get to the sedated children to use them as shields...”  
There was a hint of anger in Sheealia's voice and the water carried a hint of a possessive, protective, flavor that made Takeshi's instincts soar,  
“And we should just take their word for it?”  
The shark, who Sheealia had confirmed was related to the dead guards scoffed at her words.  
“No we shouldn't, and we haven't. The watch-commander confirmed their story while under the sway of the Glaive.”

Takeshi had read about the Glaive in the library, a sapient weapon with the ability to force anyone cut by it to answer it's wielder truthfully for as long as the wound bled.  
It was just one of many very interesting weapons mentioned and he hoped they would be able to gain access to the Atlantis armory and convince some of the weapons to come with them.

“Enough squabbling!”  
Another sharp tap of the Empress trident silenced the room again but it was rather obvious that the council had more they wanted to say, but Takeshi guessed they didn't want to risk the sway they held over the Empress by openly challenging her rule.  
“My Majordomo has offered to see to their education and testing and I agree with her. If the young beta is indeed able to make the city regenerate and perform repairs we need their help.”  
She marked her decision with a sharp tap of the trident and a flare of power before dismissing Sheealia with a short nod and Sheealia bowed before turning to Takeshi and the pack.  
“Come with me please. I will explain and we can start you lessons in the morning.”  
The dismissal riled Takeshi's instincts but he managed to give the Empress a slight bow and a curt nod to the council, though, he did give a quick brush of his aura against those that had spoken in his and the pack's favor.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The City Awakens_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Sheealia brought them to a small study that she told them was where she spent most of her time working and once everyone was comfortable he began to explain that several of the city's systems were suffering from deterioration because they needed to be actively maintained and they were part of Atlantis higher functions, functions that had been severed.  
“In the past the descendants of the Visitors tended to those functions using the machine. But the blood is almost lost to us now.”  
Sheealia told them that the Visitors didn't share the merfolk's longevity, their lifespan was about the same as a human's, roughly 100 years.  
Bringing out a few books filled with pictures she explained that the Visitors were in fact two different species, one bipedal that was vaguely humanoid, but with digitigrade legs, a strong tail, four arms with six-fingered hands and eyes like a wolf spider.  
The second species looked aquatic and somehow familiar, but Takeshi couldn't place it.  
“Cool, it looks just like the aliens in The Abyss, but with tentacles instead of arms.”

Maria was the one to place why the creature looked so familiar, the moment she spoke Takeshi realized she was correct, perhaps the one who had created the creatures for the movie had some fragment of genetic memory, or telepathic sensitivity that had allowed him to envision one.  
Sheealia continued to tell them about the Visitors, showing them pictures and records written down not only by the scholars, but by the aliens themselves.  
The aquatic looking species were the ones with the strongest ability to interact with the ship, their communication as a species entirely telepathic, but their simple appendages lacked finer motor-skills.  
The four highly dexterous, six-fingered, hands of the bipedal species on the other hand allowed them precise motor-skills that most artisans would envy and together the two species developed a symbiosis of sorts, dividing tasks between them, each species doing the tasks they were best suited to.  
The bipedal species were quick and agile with a great affinity for craftsmanship and technology while the aquatic looking species were most known for their extreme durability, able to withstand exposure to the hard vacuum of deep space, even the near perfect vacuum of the intergalactic space, the void between galaxies.  
They were also well known for their ability to bond and communicate with the species of space-dwelling creatures that Atlantis belonged to.

“It was quickly found that the merfolk and the Visitors were able to have offspring, but we soon realized that those children didn't share our lifespan.”  
Sheealia told them of the many generations that had been born while the Visitors waited for their new ship to mature enough for them to be able to leave, to continue their ways, traveling through the omniverse.  
The first generation of hybrid offspring had shared the short lifespan of their alien parent, but as the blood thinned the lifespan increased and now most of them lived almost as long as the merfolk, who according to Sheealia usually lived to be about 1000 years old before old age claimed them, though, some of the subspecies did have a longer or shorter lifespan.  
“And your species, how is your lifespan?”  
Takeshi's tone was light, almost teasing, but his aura revealed the truth behind his question, since Sheealia was _Other_ the blessing would not be able to extend her lifespan to match his own.  
“Usually shorter, about 300 years, but my grandmother is a gorgon and I have the fortune of having inherited her lifespan.”  
The taste of Takeshi's relief on the water made Sheealia turn to him with wide eyes, she still seemed to have a hard time accepting that he was serious about courting and mating her should she accept.  
“Sheea-ama, why do you still doubt my sincerity about courting you?”  
She froze slightly and when he reached out for her she began to back away.  
“I...”  
_“Please, don't run away from this. Tell me what has you so concerned.”_  
It was harder to use his suggestive ability in his current form, but he did manage to add a hint of power to his words.  
_Command_ was easy because it relied mainly on his aura for it to work, but _suggestion_ relied on his voice, and it was different in his current form, and sound behaved differently underwater.  
The telltale shift in Sheealia's aura told him it was working and moments later she stilled and allowed him to touch her.

Slowly coiling himself around her body he reached out and gently cupped her face with clawed hands.  
_“Talk to me, please.”_  
There was a brief moment of resistance before she submitted to his will.  
“You are offering me a chance to become a mother, a chance I never thought I would have. But as much as I want that, I don't know if I will be able to offer my heart in return.”  
Even the serpents of her hair seemed subdued as she steadied herself.  
“If you only win my mind, my desire for offspring, would you still be willing to bind yourself to me?”  
“If you wish me to, I will. I can't promise my heart either, but I can promise that I will care for you as I would any mate.”  
Leaning in he ignored the hissing serpents and placed a kiss on her forehead, and then on a whim gently caught the slightly larger serpent at the center of the writhing mass and gave it a quick peck on the top of its head.  
Sheealia's reaction to the rather daring, and silly, move had the others rolling with laughter as the serpents pulled a rather impressive _Static hair_ look before collapsing into utter confusion.  
Takeshi couldn't help smiling at Sheealia's mutterings while he helped he untangle the rather uncooperative serpents, he had no doubt it was words he wouldn't want the twins to learn, and the way Emelie and Knight glanced at each other only confirmed it.  
Their demonic language abilities allowed them a fair understanding of the local language, but they hadn't revealed it yet, it was far too much of a tactical advantage.  
“Are you insane?! You could have been bitten!”  
Sheealia's feigned anger failed to cover her worry as she scolded Takeshi for what she considered to be very risky behavior.  
“Don't worry, I have been exposed to both gorgon venom and merfolk venom before so my body knows how to handle them, and even if I encounter a completely new toxin it won't take me long to counter it.”

To prove his point he brought a small vial of dream conch venom out of his shift and dipped a needle in the thick substance and jabbed it into his own hand.  
“One exposure is enough for me to develop almost perfect immunity.”  
In response she muttered something that made Emelie laugh so she was crying and Knight was struggling to keep a straight face as well.  
_“Logan, what did she just say?”_  
He knew there was no point in trying to get his dear mate to answer.  
_“Do I have to answer that?”  
_The look on Knight's face was priceless.  
_“Oh, not really. But I would suggest you do unless you wish to find yourself unable to entertain your ladies for a few days.”  
_Knight's face blanched considerably and for a moment he seemed like he was about to keep his silence, but after a few moments he reconsidered.  
_“She... She called you_ Impossible _...”  
_There was a brief moment of silence and some rather owlish blinking before the pack once again broke down into laughter, this time at their alpha's expense.  
Sheealia's utterly bewildered look made Emelie try to collect herself and after a few minutes she managed to wheeze out an explanation between pearls of laughter.  
“Logan and I are very good at learning new languages, and we have managed to pick up a few words of your language, and we have all called him out on being totally impossible at one time or another, but he refuses to believe us.”  
“Oh don't listen to her, I'm quite well aware of how impossible I am to resist.”  
It took a few moments for Sheealia's rather overwhelmed mind to grasp what they were saying, but once it did she joined the others in their laughter.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The City Awakens_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Sheealia-dara, may I have a moment to speak in private?”  
Hearing Takeshi address her so formally, using the Urui title used for a majordomo, startled her slightly and she quickly dismissed the two artisans and asked Takeshi to enter.  
“How did you even know to call me that? It's not something normally taught.”  
“I have lived at the Obsidian Palace for a few years and had the pleasure of getting to know Lucifer's majordomo quite well.”  
The title, _Diri_ , followed the same pattern as the words for various relatives, with the _i_ being replaced by _a_ or _o_ depending on the gender of the majordomo, and the gender of their employer.  
With Lucifer and his majordomo both being males it became _Doro_ , and with the Empress and Sheealia both being females her title became _Dara.  
_“A story I hope you will share.”  
As she spoke Sheealia swam over to him and brushed against his side, inviting him to touch her.  
She had agreed to allow him to court her and during the past few weeks she had grown to enjoy his company and his calm confidence and to take pleasure in his teasing touch.  
Welcoming her touch he coiled around her and gave her a teasing kiss before placing a small shamarai flower crafted from Sanctuary crystals on the table next to them and activated its barrier.  
It was designed to give complete privacy, he didn't trust that the nobles of the Council didn't have some way of spying on her study and no one would think twice about him gifting his simora with a symbol of his house, quite the opposite.

The merfolk didn't use courting marks, instead the courting couple gifted each other with items to be worn that carried their mark, usually various pieces of jewelry.  
Sheealia wore a chest ornament that Takeshi had crafted in the local style, which the twins called _Game-armor_ because it looked very much like what you would see female characters wear in the various fantasy style role playing games.  
Made from dragonhide and scales and decorated with shamarai flowers it made quite a statement.  
Takeshi wore a pair of heavy, platinum, arm cuffs in the shape of serpents, much in the way Emelie would often wear her familiar.  
He had also created several similar pieces for Sheealia from blood-stone and sanctuary crystals, delicate wines and shamarai flowers, but she favored the ornate chest-piece.  
They also didn't wear clothing as such, the females would often wear decorative chest pieces that looked like highly ornamental metal bras connected to light spaulders, and various designs of scale-mail or light laminar hip pieces.  
The males wore similar hip pieces, but their chest ornaments were designed to cover the pectorals from above and the guards wore larger versions that protected the entire torso.  
Some also wore headpieces to keep their hair from flowing into their face, though many of the subspecies had fins or other natural features that kept their hair at bay.  
Sheealia's somewhat different physique did cause her to forgo the hip armor as her lower body had the arms and webbing of a vampire squid and it would impair her ability to move properly and she had no need for the headpiece as her serpent hair kept out of her face by its own accord.

 

With the barrier in place he gently pulled back from the embrace.  
“As much as I enjoy an invitation to intimacy it's not what I came here for. There is something I need to talk to you about.”  
He had spoken with the pack and they had decided to tell Sheealia the truth about what they had found out about Atlantis, about the twins ability to heal her, and his intention to try to father a child by the Empress, a strong heir with the ability to fully connect with the city.  
“When we were guided here by Artemis of the Hunt we believed it was for knowledge, and a chance that we might find something of use in the armory. But after connecting to Atlantis we realized that our true purpose here is something else.”  
“True purpose?”  
“I was chosen by the Mother, the Prime Avatar of Life, to try to save the human race. Human greed and disregard for life has caused the realms to become unstable, and my task is to restore the balance. If I fail, mankind will be wiped out to prevent the unbalance from bringing down all the realms.”  
He paused to give her time to digest what he had told her and when she nodded he continued.  
“Your people are a part of that balance, you belong in the human realm and Atlantis gives us hope to accomplish that. If we heal her she will be able to bring your people back. She will be able to protect and provide for you while the seas recover. Your presence would help restore the balance.”  
“The council would never agree to that...”  
“I know. And with the sway they hold over the Empress she will not be able to go against them. Which is why I intend to try to breed an heir by her. An heir that would have the power to make the necessary changes.”  
“How do you intend to convince the council to allow that? She will not agree to that unless the council does.”  
“I will reveal my ability to interact with the city. The prospect of an heir able to fully interact with Atlantis should be enough to bring the council around. Or at least rob them of any legitimate objections. And I have a feeling the Empress does not appreciate the throne and that she would welcome a chance to be free of it.”

He told her about how several members of the council had approached him looking to court Amanda, or at least to allow them to breed a few offspring from her to strengthen their ability to control the city.  
He had of course refused them all, as had she done with those that had the gall to try to go behind his back.  
He told her of overheard conversations where they considered forcing Amanda to stay in the city to breed her blood into their own lines.  
The taste of fury and venom in the water pleased him greatly as Sheealia hissed in distaste at the thought of such plans.  
“But how would you know for sure? They would not discuss such plans in Urui, and if someone else translated for you they might be feeding you false information.”  
Sheealia obviously did not want to believe that the council could betray the laws of hospitality in such a way.  
Takeshi just smiled and answered her in her own language.  
_“Remember Em mentioning that she and Logan were good at learning new languages? Well, it's more than that, they both possess the demon linguistic ability. They learned the language within days. And I am a fast learner with a few tricks at my disposal so I had them teach me. You would be surprised at how willing others are to speak when they believe they can not be understood.”  
_Takeshi had spent several nights within the dreamscape with Emelie and Knight, stretching it to weeks to gain the time to learn as much as he could of the Atlantis language, he still needed to learn to read it though. _  
“Amazing. Your speech is remarkably good for having been her such a short time. A bit formal and a few odd choices of words, but anyone who heard you speak would think you were of Atlantis.”  
“You have my gratitude.”  
“Thank you.”  
_She corrected him with the less formal expression of gratitude with a teasing grin before returning to Urui.  
“What can I do to help?”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The City Awakens_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

After three weeks of planning it was finally time to act.  
“Okay girls, are you ready to do your thing?”  
Sheealia looked at the twins as they slowly swam in circles around the severed neural cluster.  
“We are.”  
Their usual childish air was gone and their true age was showing.  
“Let's do this then.”  
With a deep breath she entered the code that deactivated the machine that kept the bundle of nerves alive, but also kept them from healing back together.  
The moment it went dark Knight took hold of it and moved it out of the way so that the nerves would be able to reconnect.  
With the machines out of the way the others acted quickly, Dan and Amanda connected with Atlantis to help keep her calm and balanced when her mind once again connected to her body, the sudden influx of sensations was bound to cause some issues.  
Takeshi would try to take some of the pain that the process would cause while Emelie would feed off Knight's aura and transfer that energy to the twins to make sure they would not run out of power before the healing was done.

Atlantis welcomed his touch with an almost giddy anticipation and a touch of apprehension and his soul soared with pride as he watched the twins auras meld and shift into a gentle rainbow before touching the exposed tissue.  
The effect on Atlantis was almost instant, a deep calm settled over her mind as the bundles of nerves began to glow and pulse, then came concern that quickly turned to fear and Takeshi could feel a burning itch thought their merged senses and he began to pull on it, taking the pain into himself while Dan and Amanda distracted her.  
Takeshi could taste Sheealia's amazement in the water and he had to agree with her, the twins were amazing, he had seen them heal before, but never anything like they were doing at the moment.  
It would seem that feeding the phoenix egg had caused them to evolve, to reach an entire new level of power and Takeshi had no doubt in his mind that the Fates had guided them to it so that they would have the power needed to heal Atlantis.  
It was the kind of thing the meddling Avatars would do.

Takeshi watched as thin tendrils of pulsing light formed at both ends of the severed mass and carefully bridged the gap, once they connected a pulse of pain and confusion tore through the city, causing a slight quiver, like a small earthquake, to run through its structures.  
Once the tendrils had connected the healing sped up considerably, new threads forming and wrapping themselves around the previous ones, seeking out their match and combining.  
Mere minutes later the twins pulled back and collapsed against Emelie, exhausted from healing Atlantis.  
Their part of the task was done, now it was Amanda's turn to help guide the city, to help her sort through the memories and get used to her senses without getting overwhelmed while Dan used his empathic ability to help soothe Atlantis's emotions and keep her from panicking.

Between the information available in the library about the creature and what Amanda had been able to learn directly from Atlantis it was a bit like connecting a set of hard-drives to a computer, everything that the city sensed was stored in her long term memory as raw data, but she was unable to access that data.  
The things she remembered and shared with Amanda was stored in her short term memory, similar to a flash-drive it was easy to access but had limited storage capacity which was why the memories were so fragmented, she was struggling to purge the unnecessary information to make sure she would be able to retain the important things.

They spent several hours working to keep Atlantis stable while her memory and control of her body was restored and the pain gradually faded which allowed Takeshi to divert some of his focus to the twins.  
They were both curled tightly to his sides and a tendril of their healing power mixed with his, ready to flow in and heal any additional damage if any was found but so far the city seemed to be okay.  
As Atlantis gained control of herself the pulsing light in the room calmed down and became rhythmical, then it faded completely which had the twins concerned for a while.  
But the darkness didn't last long, after a few minutes holographic screens flickered to life and the city spoke to them.  
“I thank you all for freeing my mind from its prison so that I may once again become what my kind are born to be. Free.”  
Sheealia looked utterly confused and Takeshi realized that Atlantis had spoken English, no doubt gained from their minds while they were connected.  
When Atlantis was done speaking a shiver ran through the city as she adjusted herself slightly and began to sing, the clear tones conveyed a pure joy that made the pack smile and laugh.

 


	5. City of Memories

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_City of Memories_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“You may call me Mireela while we are in private.”  
“Then please, call me Take.”  
The Empress, Mireela, gave him a slight nod before reaching for one of the sushi pieces on the floating tray.  
“Remember not to eat too many of those, we have found that grains does not agree very well with merfolk digestion.”  
“I remember.”  
“They also seem to trigger fairly strong urges to eat more.”  
This time Mireela huffed at him and relented, taking a few pieces of sashimi and grilled fish instead.  
They had found out the hard way that merfolk loved starchy foods such as rice, pasta, bread and root vegetables, but their bodies had a hard time digesting it, causing them some rather intense discomfort.  
They had been transporting food from their deamon realm stores and Arc, who was living with them to be near Dan, had been very eager to sample it all, small amounts was okay, but larger amount would cause problems ranging from bloating and gas, to outright vomiting which Arc had suffered repeatedly.  
The fact that she was still struggling not to gorge herself showed that it had an almost addictive effect, causing intense cravings for merfolk..

It had taken quite a bit of effort to convince the Empress and the Council that an heir was the best course of action, but in the end they had managed with Atlantis help.  
The city had refused to allow anyone but Takeshi and Amanda to interact with her, those that lived in the city that had previously been able to manage her quickly found themselves overwhelmed by her mind and were forced to break the connection lest they lose themselves.  
When even the Empress was unable to control Atlantis they quickly became interested in the possibility of an heir with a stronger connection to the city, one that would be able to control her freely.  
Though, Takeshi doubted that anyone would be able to force the city to do anything against her will, the heir would simply not ask anything unreasonable of her and would not be under the Council's thumb.

“So, Take. Sheealia tells me she has decided to accept your mating proposal. Have you decided when to hold the public ceremony?”  
Sheealia blushed vividly at the choice of topic, and her serpents hissed at Mireela who only swatted teasingly at the agitated serpents.  
“Indeed we have, in a fortnight when the blue moon is full. We will announce it at the hunters market.”  
“Excellent choice. The blue moon is particularly beautiful this time of the year. The red moon should be almost full as well while the white moon will be dark.”

The realm that Atlantis was hidden in had three moons, a very large red moon, a slightly smaller white moon that was very bright, and a beautiful small blue moon.  
Atlantis was a true realm walker, able to bring anyone and anything within her barriers with her across realms, she had done so instinctively while carrying her offspring, bringing a small population of merfolk with her.  
The Visitors had used her ability to form the maze that linked their current realm with the human realm, and Takeshi hoped that Atlantis would teach them how to create such passageways.

“We made our decision after visiting the planetarium, the red and blue moons will be partially aligned for the event.”  
The shadow of the blue moon would make it appear as if it was hanging inside the crescent of the red moon.  
“A good omen indeed.”  
Mireela nodded with a smile and reached for one of the manashii treats that Takeshi had brought in for dessert.  
“You should be aware that those are aphrodisiacs.”  
As much as Takeshi wanted to see her reaction to them he didn't want to trick her into eating them.  
“Well, I would have to bed you if I am to bear an heir by you. Perhaps a few of these will make things easier.”  
Popping the treat in her mouth she flashed him a fanged smile and he found that she was quite agreeable, and beautiful, when she was relaxed and not acting the part of empress.  
Though he answered her with a harrumph as her words were a teasing dig at him, she had her doubts that he would be able to perform adequately to successfully impregnate her as her species could only conceive at the peak of pleasure.  
In essence she was concerned that his form was too small to be able to bring her to release and Takeshi had yet to reveal that he could change his size to match hers.  
He did sense something else though, her taste and the way she reacted when he brushed against her made him suspected that she was untouched, and that had him slightly concerned.

“Mireela, there is one thing I need to ask you before we go any further with this.”  
“Ask away, I might not answer though.”  
“Are you untouched?”  
The brilliant blush and spluttering was answer enough so he continued without waiting for her to reply.  
“As I suspected. If you agree I would like to take you through the Arashiri. Spend some time to get to know each other more intimately without the pressure to produce offspring.”  
“How did you even know?”  
She finally found her words much to Sheealia's amusement.  
“While I lived at the Obsidian Halls I had the great honor of being picked as Guide by many youths. While I taught them they also taught me, I learned to spot the subtle cues that gives it away.”  
“I think I would like that. But first I want you to explain the details for me. I only know of the basics.”  
“Of course.”  
He began to explain the purpose, what to expect.  
Due to how their mating-bonds worked the merfolk had no tradition for first rites, a lack of available, experienced, adults to guide the youths made it somewhat troublesome.  
When he told her about the role of the Guardian she blushed and spluttered before asking Sheealia if she would join them as Guardian and Sheealia readily agreed.

Though it had not been Takeshi's intention, the very pleasurable night ended with Mireela carrying, and him formally elevated to Imperial Consort.  
When she reached the point of being receptive during the night they agreed that they shouldn't waste the chance since they didn't know how hard it would be for her to conceive.  
Takeshi insisted that they stay together for the first week, to ensure that the child would inherit the necessary traits from him, and to make sure it was a female child.  
Takeshi would have preferred a male child due to how many of the unmated females were treated, but under Atlantis law only a female heir could ascend the throne without mating first.  
Neither he, nor Sheealia mentioned that he was also manipulating parts of the emerging spirit to ensure she would be suited to rule and have the strength needed to stand against the council.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_City of Memories_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“ _You may want to know that your dessert is about to swim away.”_  
Amanda's tone was sparkling with amusement as she pointed out that a young mermaid was trying to steal one of the irri fruits from his basket of treats.  
_“Oh, I know.”  
_His own tone carried every bit as much amusement. _  
_

He had been watching her for a while as she was trying to sneak closer.  
As many of the young merfolk she was a tiny little thing, the various fish based subspecies would either lay eggs, or birth tiny, but well developed offspring.  
Like a fingerling, the fish part looked just like the adult while the human parts had the appearance of a five-year-old at birth, this particular little one was a bit larger, roughly the length of his lower arm and hand and looked slightly older, maybe around 8 to 10.  
Her fish half was quite obviously a Flame Angel, vivid hues of orange, red and yellow with black stripes and fins tipped with purple and blue.  
Her hair was quite interesting, a fiery ombré that started with pure, deep black at the roots then shifted through red and orange into bright yellow that faded to golden blonde at the tips.

“Well, aren't you the most adorable little thief I have ever seen.”  
Takeshi spoke up just as she was about to grab the silvery fruit which made her startle and freeze for a moment before darting away toward a nearby cluster of coral covered in various tube worms with elaborate fans to hide, but her rapid movement disturbed the feeding creatures who instantly retracted their fans, leaving her with nothing to hide behind.  
“Easy there little one. I won't hurt you.”  
Holding out his hand with one of the irri fruits he gently tried to coax her to come closer.  
After a few moments her curiosity, and sweet-tooth, won over her caution and she swam over and tried to grab the fruit from his hand but he held onto the stalk, forcing her to stay close if she wanted to taste it.  
The glare that she leveled him with was about as cute as it got and he could hear both Amanda and Emelie snicker at him and call him a sucker for the cute ones and he didn't bother objecting, they were right after all.  
The would-be thief quickly realized that she wouldn't be able to take the fruit from him and settled for wrapping her tail around his hand so she could get leverage to take a big bite out of it, which was easier said than done as the irri was larger than her head.  
The brilliant smile when she finally managed to get through the, for her, thick, rind and get a taste of it made it very clear that she thought it to be worth all the trouble, and when Takeshi reached over and used a claw to carefully cut the fruit open so she could easily get at the small pearls of flesh she made herself comfortable in the palm of his hand and forgot about everything but the sweet fruit.

“Aw, how pretty!”  
“She's so cute.”  
The twins clung to Takeshi's shoulders and watched the young female taste various fruits and berries from the basket of treats, even going as far as swimming into the net covered container to grab one of the demonic cloudberries that was kept from floating away by the net.  
Her struggle to hang on to the highly buoyant berry had the entire pack and their guests smiling and struggling not to laugh and in the end she settled for simply staying inside the covered basket to eat them.  
“Are all the babies going to be that tiny and cute?”  
Maria's curiosity got the better of her and she shifted her attention to Takeshi, eagerly awaiting his answer.  
“No they won't. It depends on what subspecies they are. For instance those with forms derived from marine mammals like dolphins or whales will give birth to larger, more well developed babies, and others, like Sheea, will lay eggs.”  
“What about Arc?”  
“She is ovoviviparous, do you remember what that means?”  
For a moment her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember her lessons then her expression brightened.  
“That's when the eggs hatch inside the body, right?”  
“That's right. Arc has eggs developing inside her body right now and when they are ready she will give birth to a litter of small pups.”  
“How many?”  
“Why don't you look at her and try to find out? You should be able to see them now if you look carefully.”  
Takeshi could clearly see five strong life-flames within Arc's body, four females and one male.  
“Okay!”  
He watched with a smile as she swam over to Dan and Arc and eagerly asked Arc if she could look at her and count the babies which caused a rather confused look until Dan explained about the girls' ability to see the life-flames.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_City of Memories_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi found it rather amusing to watch the way Dan would fuss over Arc to the point where she would jolt him to get him to stop for a while, but there was a darker cause behind it.  
Arc was scared, and Dan's enhanced empathic ability was picking up on it, triggering a strong need to protect her from whatever was causing her fear, the instinct was so strong that it was pulling Takeshi and the rest of the pack along.  
He had spoken to her about her fears in an attempt to soothe them, but quickly found that there wasn't much they could do to help her.  
She was afraid of giving birth to her young in Atlantis, afraid of how they would grow up, afraid they would be forced into breeding to secure genetic diversity.  
It was her story, confirmed by Atlantis's memories, that gave birth to the plan to sire a new heir, to in essence take over Atlantis.

Arc had been paired with several males in order to produce offspring, but she had been unable to conceive and as a result she had been stripped of her position as a member of the artisans caste and made casteless.  
Classified as a barren female she was stripped of all worth, all rights, and reduced to little more than a slave.  
Takeshi suspected that her inability to conceive with the selected males was due to the fact that she was an unwilling participant and from what he could tell most of the stud males were not very agreeable.  
The breeding program intended to secure the future of the isolated population had caused the males with _valuable blood_ to gain an extremely elevated status due to their ability to impregnate multiple females.  
The females on the other hand were seen as little more than brood mares, and were not given the same opportunities to study or work as the males, it was considered a waste of time.  
But the breaking point was when Arc told them that her generation and those younger than her were forbidden to take mates to ensure they were available for breeding.  
After confirming the information with Atlantis's memories Takeshi had confronted Sheealia about it and was surprised to find that she was relieved that they had found out.

After hearing Takeshi's demand that only willing females be brought before him and the males of the pack, the council had used an artifact to force everyone to secrecy about how the breeding program really worked.  
The artifact worked in a way similar to Takeshi's _command_ , but it would seem that his _suggestion_ was enough to overcome it if the person wanted to talk and he had used a modified version of suggestion while talking to Arc to help her voice her fears, and he had used it on Sheealia to ensure a truthful answer when confronting her.  
He had taken the information to his pack and together they had decided on the plan that was currently in motion, a plan to change the council.  
The council was unbalanced, giving far too much power to the nobles of the Imperial caste who held five of the twelve seats, six seats in total were held by the Imperial caste, four by the Artisans caste and only two by the Worker caste.  
The sixth Imperial seat was held by the High Commander, the shark male that had questioned the packs involvement in the deaths of two guards when they first arrived.  
But after hearing Lorri's statement about what had happened he had insisted to question the Watch Commander himself and when he returned he demanded that Takeshi face him in a sparring match.  
Takeshi had accepted, recognizing the need to understand, to gain knowledge by pitting oneself against an opponent in battle.  
In the end Takeshi had managed to win the match and prove his character to the relatively young, but strong, and skilled, shark.  
It wasn't enough though to sway the High Commander to their side in council matters, but it was enough to keep him from actively going against them, but he still would not go against the other nobles on the council.

The nobles and the Keeper of the Blood were working hard to ensure that the current ways of the city were not threatened and had used their influence to stop any research into Dan's suggestion about artificial insemination despite the Head Healer being highly optimistic about the viability of the method.  
And the Empress had followed their will, unable to go against her conditioning, afraid to cause unrest within the Imperial caste.

Takeshi hadn't said anything yet, but he intended to offer Arc to join them when they left to return to the human realm and he found himself wishing he could bring anyone that wanted to come, especially those females that were carrying their offspring, but they needed to gain control of Atlantis and bring all of them to the human realm, and for that to happen they needed to stay.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_City of Memories_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Are you ready?”  
Takeshi held out his hand to Sheealia who gave him a short nod as she took the offered hand.  
As they slowly swam side by side into the center of the circle that had been cleared for them the heavy beat of drums picked up around them.  
The mating ritual of Sheealia's people was a rather suggestive dance that ended with the couple consummating their bond before the gathered witnesses for all to see and Takeshi would mark her at their peak.  
They were unsure though if Sheealia would be able to place a mark on him as it was not the way of her kind, but she was more concerned about the public sex, especially since she was still a bit worried about them not being physically compatible but she took his hand eagerly nonetheless.  
Maybe he was being a bit mean, but he hadn't told her everything yet, he would reveal the full scope of his ability to shapeshift during the dance, as the bond began to deepen in preparation for the marking he would be able to use his new ability to not just borrow her form, but to truly become like her.  
It wasn't a love mating, but they had both agreed that it would be for the best, Sheealia's children would mature faster than Mireela's daughter and become guardians to her to help keep her safe, and strong.  
They had however grown to care deeply and both considered the other a worthy match even if their hearts had yet to come into play, which might just be for the better as Takeshi would have to leave soon.

“Look at me, focus on me.”  
Takeshi whispered as the rhythmic beat of the drums picked up speed and was joined by other instruments, trying to distract her from what they were about to do.  
Slowly he began to allow the change to take over and he smiled when Sheealia's eyes went wide with surprise as his features began to shift and change, the lure of an angler slowly sprouting from his forehead and his tail twisting and pulsing as it became the arms of a squid.  
His face didn't change much at first, there simply was no male version of a gorgon for him to draw on, instead he drew on the demons within, both the Shadow and the Dragon and allowed his facial features to take on the features of the dragon-kin with scales and horns shrouded in shadow-power.  
He could feel the wave of shock that went through the gathered crowd when he changed, there was quite a bit of fear mixed in, but all he could feel from Sheealia was desire and it pleased him greatly.  
Trusting his instincts he continued the mating dance and soon the taste of Sheealia's response on the water made him forget all about the crowd beneath them and it seemed like the same was true for her as he could sense no hint of her previous concern.  
He could feel her opening up to him, body, mind and soul and as they both neared their climax he followed the instinctive urge to reach under the mantel for the hidden chamber where her eggs waited, ready to be fertilized.  
It was a strange feeling to breed in the manner of a squid, but Takeshi allowed his instincts to guide him and distracted himself from the strangeness by focusing on the marking instead.  
As Sheealia came undone under his power he carefully bit down and pushed his power into her while gently tugging on her soul to make it flare so that he could form the needed bond.  
The soft hiss and dripping venom of her serpents gave Takeshi an idea and he quickly reached back and pulled loose one of his scales and offered it to the slightly larger serpent in the middle and watched it swallow the small scale and moments later a pattern of black scales erupted through the slithering mass.  
With the scales formed he tilted his head slightly and urged the serpents to bite down and inject their venom, it wouldn't leave a physical mark, but as long as he didn't intentionally purge it the venom would leave a faint residue of Sheealia's power within his aura, marking him as hers.

As they slowly descended toward the ocean floor Takeshi resumed the naga form that he had been using and hissed in warning at the approaching swarm of well-wishers, only allowing his pack close enough to touch his new mate.  
“Back up! Our alpha is quite protective of his new mate and might lash out if you come too close.”  
Amanda pushed herself in front of a few of the overly familiar merfolk and flared her fins, allowing some of her venom to seep into the water in warning, she wouldn't hesitate to attack in order to keep them from upsetting Takeshi or Sheealia while the bond was still new and hadn't fully settled.  
The fact that the fertilization process of Sheealia's eggs was also ongoing made Takeshi's protective instincts even stronger and that urged the pack to come to their aid.

“Come on, we need to get you to the nesting chamber.”  
Takeshi gently nudged Sheealia to move while the pack kept the guests at bay.  
Since Sheealia was oviparous there had been some concern about the safety of her eggs once she had laid them and Atlantis had offered them a solution in the form of a hidden chamber deep within the catacombs beneath the city.  
It was the chamber where the leviathan's own eggs were formed and partially matured before being expelled from her body to hatch and it would offer a controlled environment and total safety, Atlantis would not permit anyone but them access.  
Once they reached the hidden room Takeshi pulled back slightly to make sure he didn't cause her any undue stress as she meticulously inspected every part of the chamber and the shelf that Atlantis had created for her to secure her eggs to.  
The walls and deep overhang was covered in soft tissue that would give a good surface for Sheealia to attach her eggs to and plenty of room to ensure water could circulate around them.  
When she was done with her inspection she swam back to Takeshi and curled up against him, it would take a few hours before her first egg was ready to leave her body so they cuddled, and talked, trying to keep her calm as her instincts rose to the surface.

The reproductive cycle of her kin was slightly different than the vampire squid they resembled, instead of free spawning, releasing the eggs into the water to fend for themselves, they acted more like an octopus, securing a cluster of eggs to a suitable surface, then guarding them until they hatched.  
They were hoping that the safe room would allow Sheealia to resist the urge to guard her brood and trust it to the city.

Takeshi made himself comfortable by the doorway and watched his new mate carefully take a soft-shelled egg as it was expelled from her body and gently cradle it in her hands, inspecting it closely before attaching the sticky casing to the underside of the shelf.  
She had told him that it could take her a while to lay all her eggs, maybe even days depending on how many she had.  
Her gorgon heritage did change things a bit, she would lay fewer eggs and they would hatch more mature that what was natural for her species, normally they would lay about 100-200 eggs and they would hatch into a larval stage that only a few survived, similar to how shadelings were born as lesser shadows and matured into shadings.  
It was about time for her to lay her 6th egg when Takeshi picked up on a shift in her aura and the water began to taste of distress and a hint of fear.  
“Sheea, what's wrong?”  
He didn't approach her as he didn't want to risk distressing her further by aggravating her instinct to hide and protect.  
“The egg, it won't come, it's stuck.”  
Her increasing fear set Takeshi's instincts of edge and he slowly uncurled from his position.  
“I might be able to help, but I would need to come closer, you think you can handle that?”  
She turned to look at him and after a while she nodded slowly.  
He swam up to her slowly, taking care not to startle her or make any sudden moves that she might misinterpret in her instinct driven state.  
“I need you to try to slow your breathing, relax your body. Panicking only makes your body tense up and that will make it even harder.”  
Takeshi gently massaged her shoulders while he spoke and saturated the water with the pheromones of his alpha nature and it didn't take long before she relaxed against him.  
“There you go.”  
There was a noticeable slump of relief in her body when the egg was finally passed and Takeshi noticed that it was significantly larger than the previous ones.  
“They are not supposed to be this big.”  
Sheealia's complaints made him smile despite the situation.  
“Don't forget that you are of mixed heritage. Combine that with my somewhat unique blood and there is no telling what will happen. But don't worry, I'm here and will do whatever I can to make sure both you and our eggs come through this unharmed.”

In the end she laid three more of the larger eggs and another ten small ones before her instincts told her that she was done.  
After carefully checking on the eggs to make sure they were properly stuck to the surface and wouldn't come loose she moved back slightly and the moment she did a slightly opaque membrane came down across the opening.  
Leaning closer they could see the eggs swaying gently as Atlantis circulated nutrient rich water through the compartment.  
“They should grow nicely in there. And they can't get much safer.”  
Takeshi pulled Sheealia into his arms and as they settled down to rest Atlantis allowed the rest of the pack to enter and soon they all dozed in a big pile in the middle of the room.  
“Take, only the four large eggs will be true children of ours, will they? The smaller ones aren't going to make it...”  
Sheealia's voice was low, and carried a hint of sorrow.  
The smaller eggs did carry a distinct energy, but the life-flame was different, more like that of an animal than that of a sapient life-form.  
“I think they smaller ones might hatch into something else, but only time can tell and I won't be here to see it.”  
Their plans for leaving had already been made, but they were keeping them private at the time since they intended to bring Arc with them, and if others found out they might try to prevent it.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_City of Memories_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

”Are you sure you don't want an escort?”  
The High Commander tried to insist that the Imperial Consort should not be gallivanting around the outskirts without a full guard detail.  
“We are going hunting, the presence of guards would spoil our chances. Arc will be showing us the way to the hunting-grounds.”  
Takeshi knew that the stubborn shark didn't particularly like him but he did take his job seriously and accepted that Takeshi was now above him.  
As Imperial Consort Takeshi was second only to the Empress and he had used his position to make a list of demands in regards to the offspring they had sired.  
Things like demanding that they all receive full schooling and he had requested that the High Commander see to that they were able to defend themselves, and more should they wish to.  
Demands that had earned Takeshi a measure of respect even if the shark didn't like him.  
“Very well.”  
The short nod was just shy of being outright rude so Takeshi gave him a light slap with his tail in reprimand before turning to his pack.  
“Let's go, it's time to hunt.”

They were just about to exit through the gate when a female voice called for their attention, asking for a moment of the Consorts time.  
Turning around Takeshi spotted a rather young looking flame angel that had to be the mother of the curious little would-be thief from before and moments later he spotted the little one hiding in her mother's hair.  
“Go ahead, I'm listening.”  
He nodded for her to speak.  
“I would ask that you bring my daughter along for your hunting trip.”  
There was a slightly odd taste in the water that Takeshi couldn't place along with hope and anticipation.  
He was just about to refuse her request when she raised her head and looked straight at him with the mercury eyes of a true Seer, and he realized she knew, she had seen the truth and wanted her daughter to go to the human realm with them.  
“Are you sure? It could be dangerous.”  
“I am.”  
“As you wish.”  
He held out his hand and the older mermaid gently urged her daughter to swim over to him before holding out a small bag with a few personal items in.  
“Please...”  
He could tell that she was struggling not to show her sadness and he knew what she was trying to say.  
“You have my word, I will protect her as if she were my own.”  
He quickly pulled one of the scales from his back and a few strands of hair and shaped them into a simple bracelet before leaning over and whispering to the tiny female who was now clinging to his shoulder.  
There was a moment's hesitation then she nodded and allowed him to carefully pry a few scales from her tail and add to his larger scale, allowing them to merge with it before he bound his oath into it and handed it to her mother.

“Take?”  
Emelie's curiosity was quite obvious as she swam up to his side to take a look at the last minute addition to their group.  
“Her mother asked us to bring her along.”  
“But...”  
Emelie's words trailed off and he could feel the familiar brush of her mind against his own.  
_“She is a Seer, she knows what we are intending to do and she wanted her daughter to join us.”  
“I see. I guess she is a ward of House Shamarai Miri then?”  
“If you accept her, she is. And mine to protect by oath.”  
_She didn't say anything else, instead she just radiated an amused approval as she swam up to where Dan was waiting with Arc and the twins.  
He could feel Jenna and Amanda coming up behind him, and their rather mischievous energy gave him ample warning that they were up to something so he was not surprised when they swam up to him, one on each side, and gave him a rather rude double tackle before darting of to join the others.  
“Our pack is in a good mood today.”  
There was laughter in Knight's voice that made Takeshi bare his fangs at him, but it was teasing rather than reprimanding.  
Knight was right though, the pack was in a very good mood, playing and teasing as they waited for him to join them and take his position at the front.  
Most of them didn't know they were leaving to return home though, Takeshi and Emelie had decided it was better if they didn't know, to keep them from having to lie if someone asked the wrong questions.  
They would tell them once they made camp for the night, that way they would still be close enough to return should Arc wish to remain in Atlantis, but Takeshi had no doubt that she would come with them, the young female clinging to his shoulder only acted as confirmation to his conviction on the matter.  
With a few teasing nips Takeshi urged his pack to start moving toward the area where they had met Star-singer.  
They would meet up with the creature again, and perhaps Takeshi would be able to convince it to give Arc the same genetic seed that the rest of the pack had received, her inability to communicate silently with them was an inconvenience.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_City of Memories_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Take urged his pack to make best speed with him and Dan taking turns helping Knight keep up with them, he wanted to get as much distance as they could between them and Atlantis before resting.  
They had told everyone that they planned on spending at least a full week hunting, and not to expect them back for about three weeks with travel time added.  
By the time they stopped to set up camp Takeshi estimated it to be past midnight and the little flame angel was fast asleep in the simple harness he had made for her during the lunch break and he gently shook her so that she could eat something before sleeping again.  
He also wanted to introduce her properly to the pack, and himself, as he had no idea what her name was.

“So, does our little nugget of fire have a name to share with us, or should we just call you our little _Dorob_ _ō_?”  
The pack snickered at the choice of nickname, but both the little one and Arc looked somewhat confused.  
“Dorobō? I'm unfamiliar with that word, what does it mean?.”  
Arc was the first to voice her question.  
“It's from my native language, and it means thief.”  
The reaction was instant as Arc joined the snickering and the little would be thief puffed up and flared her fins in annoyance.  
“ _Tza Miri!_ ”  
She managed to pull of a mix of affronted and defiant that made Takeshi grin in appreciation, she had just as much fire in her spirit as she had in her hair and tail.  
It was far from proper Urui, but at least they now knew she spoke it, and that her name was Miri, destiny, and everyone gave Emelie a pointed look as the young female's name was also the name of Emelie's House.  
_“No tzo Takeshi.”  
_Takeshi introduced himself in Urui using the proper form.  
The way Miri had said it was more like saying _Me Miri_ rather than _I am Miri_.  
_“Na tza Emelie ya.”_  
_Ni tzi_ was the proper way to indicate oneself, for instance to say _I am_ or in this case _My name is,_ and it changed to _No tzo_ and _Na tza_ for the masculine and feminine forms, adding _Yi, Ya_ or _Yo_ at the end changed _I am_ into _They are, She is_ or _He is_.  
After introducing Emelie, with the added _Ya_ to indicate he was talking about someone else's name, he quickly moved on to introducing the rest of his pack.  
When it was Dan's turn Takeshi hesitated for a brief moment before making up his mind, it was a good a time as any to test his theory about Dan.  
_“Ni tzi Dan yi. No tzo simori yi.”  
_The combination of _No tzo,_ and _yi_ was a claim, _They are mine_ and Takeshi was curious to see how Dan would react to him using the _Yi_ form.  
Dan's eyes widened in surprise at the gender neutral introduction, then he broke into a brilliant smile and nodded, the water tasting of bubbling joy, and a hint of relief that shifted to nervous hesitation as Dan turned to look at the rest of the pack.  
But it quickly faded under the overwhelming taste of approval and light teasing from the rest of the pack.  
_“Ni tzi Gere yi.”  
“Ni tzi Freke yi.”  
_The twins piped up and introduced the two shadows when Takeshi omitted them.

“Everyone, this little nugget of fire is Miri and she will be joining us.”  
“Isn't she a bit young to join such a long hunt?”  
Arc was a bit nervous and she hesitated to speak up at first but she quickly found her courage.  
“She is, but as most of you already suspect, we are not actually going hunting.”  
“Then what...?”  
Her question was interrupted by Dan and the twins who spoke all at once.  
“We're going home!”  
“We're going home?”  
The twins spoke with certainty and joy while Dan was more hesitant, unsure if he had interpreted things correctly.  
“Indeed we are.  
Takeshi confirmed as he focused on Arc.  
“Arc, I know you are far more concerned about birthing your litter in Atlantis than you have let on. So I would like to invite you to come with us, join us in the human realm and raise your young under our protection.”  
For a moment the water tasted of uncertainty then Takeshi found himself rammed by Arc and on the receiving end of a kiss that tasted of gratitude and tingled with the power of her nature.  
Then as suddenly as she had rushed him she darted back and hid behind Dan, leaving behind a taste of gratitude and embarrassment on the water.  
After a moment of Dan reassuring her she moved out from behind him and bowed low at his side before speaking in a very formal form of her own language.  
“Takeshi of House Shamarai, you have my eternal gratitude. A life-debt owed for each pup I birth, a life debt owed for my own freedom. I am forever in your debt.”  
She tasted of conviction and absolute loyalty as she remained bowed while she waited for his reply, he could reject her life debt, but doing so would be deeming her unworthy and he refused to do so.  
“Then from this day on until your last you will be Arc of House Shamarai. You will be one of mine until the day you breathe your last unless you are given into the bond of a soulmate.”  
“As you wish Yemo.”  
She answered instantly, without any trace of hesitation.  
“Now rise Arc, while I will occasionally demand obedience I do not demand that those of my House bow to me, or that they be subservient unless in a situation where formality demands it.”  
She gave him a short nod before rising and curling into Dan's side and Takeshi could hear her whispers of gratitude for helping her escape the ways of her people.

“Little Miri, you will be a ward of House Shamarai Miri until the day you are old enough to make the choice if you wish to formally join our House. My mate and I will care for you as if you were our own blood.”  
“House Shamarai _Miri_?”  
“Indeed. My mate is Emelie of House Miri and together we are Shamarai Miri.”  
Miri instantly lit up like a sun and for a moment Takeshi could see a swirl of silver in her eyes, perhaps she was the reason why Roghan had gifted them with a scrying bowl.  
A Seer would be a valuable addition to his House should she accept when she was able to make the choice.  
“Go on, greet your new family. I promise they won't hurt you.”  
Takeshi gently shooed Miri toward the others that had gathered around a few fire-crystals.  
It didn't take long for the Twins to pull her into one of their games and Takeshi settled down to watch over his pack, Knight tried to convince him to rest, but he refused as Knight would need all his strength to keep up.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_City of Memories_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

The combined taste of Arc's and Miri's fear made the water sickeningly bitter and Miri's soft, repeated, song, triggered primal instincts deep within the pack, instincts that came with a deep, almost overwhelming need to protect.  
The had located star-singer, but both Arc and Miri were terrified of the giant creature, some deep rooted instinct driving them to a near panic.  
“Dan, take care of Arc, I will try to calm Miri down.”  
It would be easier for Dan to calm Arc as he didn't need to worry about her involuntary electric discharges.  
“Miri, look at me. There is no need for fear, Star-singer may be large, but it means us no harm.”  
The only answer he got was the repeated song that spoke of fear, begged for rescue.  
_“Miri, you possess the sight. Use your eye's. Look at it, know the truth of it.”  
_Similarly to what he had done with the young Seer that was the reborn Avatar of the Black Forest he began to weave the modified suggestion into his words to encourage her to use her power, even if she had little or no control.  
“Pretty...”  
Miri's awed tone and the way her fear instantly vanished was proof enough that it had worked, but he gently nudged her to turn around anyway so that he could take a good look at her eyes.  
He found that they weren't pure silver, there were thin wisps of gold swirling in the silver, it could be because of her youth, that her power wasn't fully manifested, or it could be something permanent, some unique to her.  
He silently hoped that it was the latter because the effect was quite beautiful.  
“Easy now, close your eyes and rest, you did well.”  
Arc still tasted of fear, but she clung tightly to Dan and held her ground as Star-singer slowly approached.

“ _The City sings, her songs no longer forgotten. She wakes, she remembers, and she shares.”_

Star-singer's mind felt different now as their own minds were better able to withstand its power thanks to the _seed_ they had been gifted with last time they met.

“ _The One who crossed the Great Void sings of many wonders, I will take her songs into the night and sing them to the distant stars. I will sing the song of how a rainbow healed a great leviathan. The song of Hope that protects life itself.”_

The creature spoke in great detail about its planned travels, it would leave the alternate dimension version of Earth and the hidden realm it had lived in for countless years and head into space, across the galaxy and venture into the void between galaxies in search of the place Atlantis came from.  
It would bring back the story of what had happened to Atlantis, and with it would also bring stories of how the twins had healed her and how the pack had helped her recover.  
“You do us great honor Star-singer. But before you leave for the great beyond I would ask you a great favor, will you hear my plea?”  
_“You have done a great deed, I shall listen and grant if it is within me to do so.”_  
“You have my gratitude.”  
Takeshi motioned for Arc and Miri to come closer.  
“As you can see I have added a new member to my House, and a young ward under out protection. But they are not true mind-whisperers so I would ask if you would be willing to grant them a seed as you did with us. Will you open their minds to the whispered songs of others? Grant them the voice to sing the secret songs?”  
There was a long silence before Star-singer responded.  
_“I shall grant your request, come closer little ones.”_  
“One moment, Arc is carrying, is it safe for her and the unborn? If there is any risk to them we would rather wait until she has given birth.”  
As convenient as it would be for Arc to gain true telepathy,  Takeshi refused to risk the unborn pups, the telepathy of the merfolk was much like that of the blessed, it only worked with their own kind, and as Takeshi had found, had a limited function with other species..  
_“It is safe, if she takes the seed they will be born mind-whisperers as well.”_  
With Star-singers assurance that it was safe Arc and Miri were given the glowing threads as well and before long they were sleeping on Star-singers back as the gentle giant slowly swam toward the entrance to the labyrinth, giving them an even greater distance to Atlantis in case someone decided to follow them.  
It also gave the entire pack an opportunity to sleep as Star-singer kept guard.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_City of Memories_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi wasn't entirely surprised to find himself in the dreamscape with Star-singer at his side, the creature now the same size as Takeshi's own form.  
They spent many hours speaking of the fate of the world and Takeshi found that speaking to the ancient creature eased his mind, some of the things they spoke about were things he hesitated to talk to his pack about because he didn't want them to worry about what could not be changed.  
War was brewing at the horizon and there would be no way to avoid great suffering, he was just hoping that he would be able to spare his loved ones the brunt of it.

What did surprise him however was when Star-singer revealed the true reason for coming into the dreamscape, and what he learned while granting their request.

 

.·:*¨¨*:·.-Flashback-.·:*¨¨*:·.

“Your pod has been most generous in sharing themselves with me.”  
For a moment the dreamscape came to life with flashes of the memories that the pack had shared.  
“I find myself curious. Out of all the memories, thoughts and feelings they have shared the ones that are most vivid all relate to their love for you.”  
“Curious about what?”  
Takeshi was most definitely curious about what could have the old alien curious.  
“About touch, they all seem to value it greatly.”  
“Physical closeness is very important to humans, to most species. It offers comfort, or pleasure, depending on who does the touching and how. Depending on the situation it can convey love, caring, protection, or comfort.”  
“Would you be willing to teach me, show me the power of touch that allows it to form such powerful memories?”  
Star-singer explained that they had been alone their entire life, never knowing the closeness of another as the sapient creatures of the realm feared it too much to approach.  
Takeshi figured it wouldn't be all that different from teaching a youth during the first rites so he quickly agreed to do what he could to help.

“I believe it would be easier if you borrowed a form more similar to mine at first as I will have to learn about you as much as I teach you.”  
Form was but a thought in the dreamscape and Star-singer quickly changed into a naga form similar to Takeshi's, but Takeshi quickly found that it lacked any gender indicators.  
“If you don't mind med asking, are you male, female, or something else?”  
“It would be appropriate to address me as Yi, though reproductively I am both male and female.”

Star-singer explained that their species had three sexes, all of them were technically female by human standards as they were all able to produce and lay eggs.  
What set them apart as sexes was what eggs they were able to produce, all members of the species was able to produce self-fertilized eggs that hatched into lesser creatures, like the swarm of cleaners that cared for Star-singer's body, cleaning away any parasites or growths.  
But these were not true eggs, they could never grow into a new leviathan, true eggs could only be produced by the Queens, and to do that they needed the aid of a King, their reproductive equivalent of a male who had the ability to fertilize queen eggs.

Star-singer told him that their species was related to Atlantis' species, they were an offshoot of the greater leviathan species that Atlantis belonged to, and that their species was to Atlantis what the cleaners were to them.  
“She is a Queen which is why they hunted her, they witnessed her meeting with a King, and after seeing them mate they knew what she was, and that she would be able to produce new leviathans. Desiring that power they began to hunt her.”  
The Queen would store the sperm from the mating until she needed it and when she was ready she would use some of it to fertilize one, or several eggs that was then laid in a spawning ground, areas of extreme gravity such as the close proximity to singularities, a single mating was enough to fertilize hundreds of true eggs.  
This made it extremely hard to get to the eggs before they hatched and matured enough to leave the gravity well.  
Those that hunted Atlantis wanted to get to her eggs before they hatched to form a bond with the symbiotic creatures before they fully developed as that would allow them to take total control of not only their form, but their mind as well.  
In essence the newborn leviathan would be born a slave to the one that had touched its egg.

.·:*¨¨*:·.-End Flashback-.·:*¨¨*:·.

 

When Takeshi and the pack woke up they found themselves only a few hundred meters from the entrance to the maze and they thanked Star-singer for bringing them there so fast.  
They would have to remain there for a while there though to make sure that Arc and Miri would be able to withstand the pressure and cold at the other side of the maze, and they might need to take it slowly to allow Jenna to re-acclimatize to it.  
Star-singer watched as the water spirits manipulated the water to simulate the pressure.  
_“I might be able to be of assistance. I can manipulate gravity fields, allow you to practice without draining precious resources.”_  
The aid was quickly accepted, especially by Emelie and Knight who would no longer need to drain themselves to feed the spirits the power needed.

They took the time to hunt while they got used to the increased pressure, sending some of their catch back to Atlantis to maintain the illusion of a regular hunt, but most was sent to their stores in the Obsidian Halls so that it could be brought back to feed them during the passage through the maze.

“Arc, Miri, would you come here for a while please? I have something I would like to give you.”  
Amanda had spoken to Takeshi about giving them a shard of the crown as she had with the rest of the pack, it would help them navigate the maze and protect them from getting lost.  
She had told him that it felt right, just like how it had felt right to take the ornate staff he was training her in how to fight with from the Atlantis armory.  
Arc and Miri both accepted the small crystal flower after Takeshi assured them it would be safe and showed them that he had one himself.

A week after their arrival they were ready to leave and they all thanked Star-singer for their help, and said their goodbyes.  
_“If you truly wish to thank me there is one thing you could do for me.”_  
They instantly promised that they would listen and accept if it was reasonable.  
_“Take some of my eggs, bring them with you and allow one to hatch within your realm. It will allow me to hear you. Then share your adventures with me, give me more memories to add to my songs.”_  
Star-singer added that the lesser creature would be able to give others the seed so that they too would be able to share their memories with it.  
The extra eggs could be brought to other realms, or be kept safe in case something happened to the first one.  
The eggs were carefully added to Knight's backpack before they said their final goodbyes and headed into the labyrinth.

This time they crossed the labyrinth much faster as they knew how to navigate it, but Takeshi did notice that the narrow paths seemed to have vanished, they were now all wide enough for Knight to pass through the comfortably without needing Emelie to take him through the shadows.  
“The maze has changed, it seems almost welcoming now, like it wants to make our passage easier.”  
“Indeed it has, I would guess that it might be because the crown is now with a true descendant. The crown and the maze are linked and they recognize you so they do what they can to aid you in your passage.”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_City of Memories_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

As they exited the cave that held the entrance to the maze in the human realm they were met by the soft glow of Salacia's searchlights.  
“Welcome back, shall I inform the Leviathan and the estate of your return?”  
Angel greeted them as they swam closer to the platform.  
“Inform the Leviathan so that they can prepare for our return please. Hugin will no doubt sense us when we get closer and inform the others.”  
“Will there be any special preparations needed for the new additions?”  
Takeshi turned to look at Arc and Miri who were looking rather uncomfortable, the pollutants in the water making them itch.  
“We need to set up decontamination baths for both of them, and make sure the pool is cleaned and the water properly purified. And we will need to have a crystal container hooked to one of the davits to help lift Arc out of the water, I can carry Miri myself in a smaller container.”  
They quickly worked up a design for lifting a large crystal aquarium out of the ocean and onto the deck next to the pool and Emelie spent some time with Arc to create the tank from Sanctuary crystals before attaching a floater to it that brought it up to the surface so that it would be ready when they reached the Leviathan.

“I'm sorry Arc, but it's the only safe way to bring you to the island where we live, the water in the lagoon is protected and purified, but the ocean between here and the island is badly polluted and I don't want to risk your health or that of your pups.  
Arc did not like the idea of having to stay in a small body of water and as they slowly ascended the water began to turn bitter from her fear and Takeshi was trying to calm her down, the stress was not good for her developing eggs.  
“Don't worry Arc, I will stay with you the entire way if you want me to.”  
Dan's promise to stay by her side did calm her down somewhat, but in the end they were forced to use a combination of Takeshi's command and Amanda's venom to keep the young ray from panicking as they helped her into the small tank that would lift her onto the deck and then transfer her into the decontamination bath and scrubbing her clean.  
Diluted in the water of the smaller tank Amanda's venom was sedating and numbing rather than paralytic and it made it easier to scrub Arc's sensitive skin, being a ray she didn't have the hard scales of a fish but rather the tough leathery hide of a shark, and despite its toughness it was surprisingly sensitive to touch.  
After carefully moving Arc into the pool Dan stayed by her side while she slowly woke up from the venom, meanwhile Takeshi carefully scrubbed and rinsed Miri before carrying her to the pool as well.

The crew quickly gathered around the pool, curious to see the newcomers, but Takeshi cautioned them not to enter the water as they didn't know if they carried any microbes that could be dangerous to the two mermaids, especially Arc since any infection could put her at risk of miscarrying her pups.  
The pack's enhanced immune-system made them safer to be around as it efficiently eliminated any potentially dangerous pathogens.  
Takeshi watched as Miri laughed and sang while teasing Joshua by using her tail to splash him with water whenever he came close enough, she would then quickly dart away to the middle of the pool with a laugh.  
He didn't seem to mind though, instead he smiled and tried to hit her with one of the large, soft, beach-balls, that was of course a rather futile pursuit as the ball moved much too slow and inaccurately to have any chance of reaching the agile mermaid who simply dove down and hid under the surface.  
“Okay, that's enough you two. Arc needs her rest.”  
Joshua instantly turned to Arc and apologized profusely before realizing she didn't understand him, which caused another bout of apologies followed by some rather vivid blushing and awkward mumbling.  
“Don't worry Josh, she understands what you mean even if she doesn't understand the words.”  
Takeshi noticed that Arc smiled and laughed softly at the utter relief that Joshua radiated, it was a good sign that she was recovering from the stress and getting somewhat accustomed to the cramped living-space.

Fortunately it didn't take long to make it back to the island and knowing that she was going back into the ocean made it easier for Arc to handle the confined space of the transport tank while Miri was more than happy to be carried by Takeshi in a small container.  
Much to everyone's amusement there was barely any water left in it by the time they made it to the swim platform as Miri had spent the time splashing most of it on Joshua who had been walking next to them.  
There was however a bit of chaos when they made it to the platform due to a certain overeager angel rushing to greet his lover.  
The sudden approach of the large raven had Miri crying out in panic and trying to flee into the water which only caused her to get tangled in Takeshi's hair as she leapt out of the container.  
Her obvious fear threw Hugin of from his intended approach and he narrowly avoided crashing into the side of the Leviathan, but he was forced to shift to avoid it and the sudden shift cost him his lift and he ended up dropping into the water next to the dive platform.  
That wasn't the end of it though for the poor angel as his sudden appearance in the water next to Arc combined with the calls of fear from Miri caused her to release the signature jolt of electricity of her species, though much stronger than what any ray of the human realm was capable of.  
It wasn't enough to actually harm Hugin, but it was plenty enough to make him look rather rumpled and send him into a fit of distressed chirps that mixed with Miri's frantic calls as Takeshi tried to calm her down so he could untangle her from his hair without her getting hurt.

It all ended with Takeshi sporting a very short hairstyle for a few days as he used his claws to cut it at the nape of the neck to make it easier to untangle Miri, fortunately it would grow back to its original length within a week, faster of he focused on it.  
When she was finally free Takeshi silently promised himself that he would try his best to never again be around Miri without braiding his hair first.  
Miri quickly got over her fear for Hugin though, but it took days for the poor angel to get over the rather shocking return of the pack.

 


End file.
